title: Endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal neoplasms.
abstract: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is currently accepted as the major treatment modality for superficial neoplasms in the gastrointestinal tract including the esophagus. An important advantage of ESD is its effectiveness in resecting lesions regardless of their size and severity of fibrosis. Based on excellent outcomes for esophageal neoplasms with a small likelihood of lymph node metastasis, the number of ESD candidates has increased. On the other hand, ESD still requires highly skilled endoscopists due to technical difficulties. To avoid unnecessary complications including perforation and postoperative stricture, the indications for ESD require careful consideration and a full understanding of this modality. This article, in the highlight topic series, provides detailed information on the indication, procedure, outcome, complications and their prevention in ESD of superficial esophageal neoplasms.
authors.affiliation: Satoshi Ono, Center for Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujishiro
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koike