However, acquiring skills for basic ESD maneuvers from the beginning of training is vital

and the lower vascularity of the antral wall allows this due to reduced bleeding risk. The incidence of early gastric cancer in the West is very low compared to Japan, so opportunities to perform training gastric ESD are few. Alternatively, rectal ESD is a comparatively safe procedure and may provide a useful training medium for Western endoscopists. Certain skills can be acquired during animal model training, but collaboration with expert Japanese endoscopists and training periods in their units may be helpful in order to reach the necessary skill level. Suzuki et al. recently Erlotinib order reported their early experience of ESD as a modality to remove large sessile colorectal polyps at the Wolfson Endoscopy Unit, UK. Although only nine patients were enrolled in the study, en bloc resection Adriamycin purchase was achieved in seven patients, with only one major complication of post-procedural bleeding requiring blood transfusion. Importantly, the ESD technique was acquired under the supervision of an expert.66 Dinis-Ribeiro et al. published a case series of 19 gastric ESD from Portugal reporting only one hemorrhage and no perforations.67 Thirdly, ESD is considered more economical and less invasive

compared to surgery. Nevertheless, mean hospital inpatient stay for ESD is 5 days and this could prove logistically difficult in the West where bed availability is often limited. In addition, it could be argued that laparoscopic surgery and transanal resection for colorectal lesions in the West are more established techniques, requiring

a shorter or similar length inpatient stay; thus, they may be a more viable option. Finally, management of GIT lesions using ESD in the West will undoubtedly require a multidisciplinary team. During each procedure, several endoscopists are often present in Japan, either to assist or monitor patients, and propofol is frequently given without anesthetists being present. However, although conscious sedation is standard practice in the UK, anesthetists would be required to administer propofol.68 Practice varies worldwide, with anesthetist- 上海皓元医药股份有限公司 or nurse-administered propofol common in Australia and the USA.69 Endoscopy nurse training would also need to be addressed in the West, as ESD requires highly trained assistants as well as skilled technicians. Introduction of ESD into Western countries could be of huge benefit to the management of GIT lesions. However, close and supportive working relationships between endoscopists, pathologists and surgeons would be vital for it to succeed as a viable therapeutic option. A. Conlin was awarded a travel scholarship from HCA International Foundation to fund training at the National Cancer Centre Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. T.