Endoscopic submucosal dissection in patients with ulcerative colitis

Patients with ulcerative colitis have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. This risk has been estimated to reach about 7% at 20 years of disease, 7-14% at 25 years, and as high as 30% after 35 years. The guidelines for the management of inflammatory bowel disease recommend endoscopic resection of circumscribed dysplasia and ongoing colonoscopic surveillance as a reasonable strategy in patients with ulcerative colitis. Submucosal fibrosis due to background inflammation could hamper adequate lifting and endoscopic treatment. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is difficult for dysplasia within colitic mucosa due to the non-lifting sign. Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) generally has higher risks of perforation and bleeding compared to EMR, the technique can achieve complete en bloc resection regardless of the lesion size or severity of submucosal fibrosis. Several studies have shown that ESD for circumscribed dysplasia in ulcerative colitis is feasible. While ESD can avert unnecessary surgery, submucosal fibrosis makes the intervention technically demanding in cases of ulcerative colitis. ESD should be performed by expert endoscopists using the most suitable equipment and devices available.