The application effect of rubber band traction assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection for esophageal precancerous lesions.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rubber band traction-assisted ESD (RBT-ESD) in treating esophageal precancerous lesions (EPLs).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included the clinical data of 110 patients with EPLs who received ESD from June 1, 2022 to November 10, 2024 at the Handan First Hospital. Of them, 55 patients who underwent RBT-ESD were matched with patients who underwent conventional ESD (C-ESD) using propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio. Surgical outcomes, one-time complete resection rate, quality of life (QOL), and incidence of complications were compared between the two groups.

Results: RBT-ESD was associated with considerably lower surgical time, intraoperative mucosal injection volume, submucosal dissection time, mucosal dissection speed, and postoperative hospital stay than C-ESD (<0.05). The one-time complete resection rate of the RBT-ESD group (100%) was higher than that of the C-ESD group (94.5%), but the difference was not significant (>0.05). Post-surgery QLQ-C30 scores in both groups increased and were significantly higher in the RBT-ESD group compared to the C-ESD group (<0.05). The incidence of adverse events was comparable in the two groups (>0.05).

Conclusions: Compared with C-ESD, RBT-ESD for EPLs may optimize the effectiveness of the surgical treatment and enhance patients' QOL with comparable safety.