Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jul 27, 2026; 18(7): 120740
Published online Jul 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i7.120740
Published online Jul 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i7.120740
Efficacy and adverse reactions of endoscopic submucosal dissection and endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection in early esophageal cancer patients
Dong Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266042, Shandong Province, China
Xiu-Xian Hao, Office of the Health Insurance, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266042, Shandong Province, China
Chao Zhang, Department of Health Education, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266042, Shandong Province, China
Yan Liang, Department of Quality Control, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266042, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang D and Hao XX contributed to the conceptualization; Hao XX, Zhang C, and Liang Y contributed to methodology; Hao XX performed the investigation; Zhang D and Zhang C conducted the formal analysis; Zhang C and Liang Y conducted the data curation; Zhang D wrote the review; Liang Y wrote the original draft.
AI contribution statement: None of these or any other AI tools were used. The main text of the manuscript was written by the authors without AI-generated. No AI tool used for language polishing, translation, data analysis, or writing assistance of the manuscript. The study design and interpretation of results were carried out by the authors. The authors created all the images without AI tools.
Institutional review board statement: This study strictly adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki and related ethical guidelines for medical research. It received formal approval from the Medical Ethics Committee of the Qingdao Central Hospital.
Informed consent statement: According to the “Ethical Review Measures for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects” regarding the ethical requirements for retrospective studies, and considering the characteristics of this study involving no direct intervention, low risk, and adequate protection of subject privacy, the Medical Ethics Committee unanimously agreed to waive the informed consent procedure after review.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Yan Liang, Research Fellow, Department of Quality Control, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, No. 127 South Siliu Road, Qingdao 266042, Shandong Province, China. nayliang@163.com
Received: March 10, 2026
Revised: April 15, 2026
Accepted: May 26, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 140 Days and 7 Hours
Revised: April 15, 2026
Accepted: May 26, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 140 Days and 7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This retrospective study provides comparative evidence on the use of endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection (ESTD) vs conventional endoscopic submucosal dissection in treating early esophageal cancer. We found that ESTD is associated with a high R0 resection rate, low recurrence, and few adverse reactions. Moreover, ESTD demonstrates superior surgical efficiency (short procedure time and reduced bleeding) and attenuates postoperative inflammatory responses, which correlate with improved long-term quality of life. These results position ESTD as a potentially more effective and less traumatic minimally invasive option compared with other approaches, warranting further prospective validation.