Nomograms and prognosis for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

In recent years, endoscopic resection, particularly endoscopic submucosal dissection, has become increasingly popular in treating non-metastatic superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this evolving paradigm, it is crucial to identify factors that predict higher rates of lymphatic invasion and poorer outcomes. Larger tumor size, deeper invasion, poorer differentiation, more infiltrative growth patterns (INF-c), higher-grade tumor budding, positive lymphovascular invasion, and certain biomarkers have been associated with lymph node metastasis and increased morbidity through retrospective reviews, leading to the construction of comprehensive nomograms for outcome prediction. If validated by future prospective studies, these nomograms would prove highly applicable in guiding the selection of treatment for superficial ESCC.

Keywords: Endoscopic mucosal resection; Endoscopic submucosal dissection; Esophageal cancer; Esophageal resection; Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; Lymph node metastasis.