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The primary objective of this study is to determine the percentage segment regression after spray cryotherapy in a dose-escalation study performed in patients with dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus (BE) using trūFreeze™ spray cryotherapy within the currently recommended therapeutic range. Secondary objectives are the determination of safety related outcomes such as esophageal stricture.
The investigators propose a study comparing the morphological and functional aspects of the neosquamous epithelium (NSE) after ablative therapy for dysplastic Barrett's esophagus (BE) to that of native squamous epithelium in normal controls as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), non-Barrett's Esophagus (BE) subjects.
This pilot clinical trial studies how well a swallowable sponge cell sampling device and next generation sequencing work in detecting esophageal cancer in patients with low or high grade dysplasia, Barrett esophagus, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Checking biomarkers in abnormal esophageal cells using a swallowable sponge cell sampling device and next generation sequencing may improve diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer.
Patients undergoing ablative therapy for management of dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus (BE) will have decreased distensibility over the course of treatment, but improvement in mucosal impedance as BE epithelia is replaced by neosquamous epithelia. This information may lead to further research in predicting therapeutic response and complications. The purpose of this research is to collect information while measuring changes related to the esophagus in patients that receive radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus (BE) or esophageal cancer. Study participation includes measurements of the esophagus with the use of two different devices. This takes place during clinically indicated upper endoscopies during the timeframe the participant is receiving RFA treatments. This process will take up to an additional 10 minutes during the upper endoscopy and be done while the participant is sedated.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the CryoSpray Ablation System to treat esophageal low grade dysplasia (LGD) or high grade dysplasia (HGD) within Barrett's Esophagus (BE).
Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia is a premalignant condition caused by chronic reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. High-grade dysplasia is the same as carcinoma-in-situ. If untreated, patients with this condition are at high risk for developing cancer of the esophagus. Cancer of the esophagus is a miserable disease that is difficult to treat and about 95% fatal after 5 years. To prevent progession to cancer of the esophagus several interventions are available and they include surgery, Photofrin photodynamic therapy, endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic thermal therapy. All of these modalities are uncomfortable, expensive and have associated risks. The oral agent, 852A stimulates the innate immune system in such a way as to eliminate early cancer. A similar dermatologic drug(imiquimod) is approved for treating the premalignant condition, actinic keratosis. If local therapy with imiquimod can eliminate a premalignant lesion in the skin, a similar acting drug should be able to do the same for a premalignant lesion in the lining of the esophagus. This study is designed to test that hypothesis.
Lay summary: Barrett's Esophagus (BE) involves a change of the esophagus lining (BE epithelium) which in a small proportion of patients could be the starting point for the development of cancer (esophageal adenocarcinoma). Currently, there is evidence that this change is initiated by acid reflux from the stomach which then could progress in a stepwise manner from the healthy epithelium to cellular changes (intestinal metaplasia, low-grade and high-grade dysplasia) and finally to adenocarcinoma. Surgery is considered the standard therapy for this cancer which involves the risk of death and complications with quality of life impairments. New possibilities for treatment have evolved with endoscopic therapies which allow for treatment of early changes of the epithelium (intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia) prior to the occurrence of cancer using either argon plasma coagulation (APC) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Both are established methods for eradication of BE by thermal ablation of the BE epithelium using high frequency current (HF). More advanced BE epithelium with early visible cancers are being treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). After EMR the residual Barrett's epithelium can also be removed by ablation with RFA or APC. Currently radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been suggested as the standard therapy for BE treatment. Although effective in the eradication of the BE epithelium after RFA treatment the re-appearance of BE epithelium and the occurrence of complications such as strictures causing swallowing impairments for food have also been observed in clinical studies. A recently developed method is Hybrid argon plasma coagulation (ablation) \[HybridAPC® (HAPC)\] which combines argon plasma coagulation (APC) with a fluid injection function by a water beam. The water beam allows to establish a fluid cushion (normal sterile saline) right beneath the BE-epithelium prior to thermal ablation thereby protecting the esophagus wall from heat during ablation of epithelium with APC. The goal of this randomized controlled study is to investigate if HAPC is non-inferior to RFA in the stricture-free eradication of the dysplastic BE epithelium.
This clinical trial studies whether esophageal cytology plus fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is equal to or better than esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) or upper endoscopy for the early detection of esophageal cancer. Genes are the units of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) the chemical structure carrying genetic information that determine many human characteristics. Certain genes in cancer cells may determine how the tumor grows or spreads and how it may respond to different drugs. Part of this study is to test those genes in esophageal cells using FISH.
The purpose of this pilot study is to provide an initial assessment of the feasibility, safety and efficacy of Polar Wand carbon dioxide cryotherapy for treatment of Barrett's low grade and high grade dysplasia by use in a small number of patients so as to support, or otherwise, the development of a full-scale trial.
The purpose of this study is to learn the best approach to treating patients with known or suspected Barrett's esophagus by comparing endoscopic surveillance to endoscopic eradication therapy. To diagnose and manage Barrett's esophagus and low-grade dysplasia, doctors commonly use procedures called endoscopic surveillance and endoscopic eradication therapy. Endoscopic surveillance is a type of procedure where a physician will run a tube with a light and a camera on the end of it down the patients throat and remove a small piece of tissue. The piece of tissue, called a biopsy, is about the size of the tip of a ball-point pen and is checked for abnormal cells and cancer cells. Endoscopic eradication therapy is a kind of surgery which is performed to destroy the precancerous cells at the bottom of the esophagus, so that healthy cells can grow in their place. It involves procedures to either remove precancerous tissue or burn it. These procedures can have side effects, so it is not certain whether risking those side effects is worth the benefit people get from the treatments. While both of these procedures are widely accepted approaches to managing the condition, there is not enough research to show if one is better than the other. Barrett's esophagus and low-grade dysplasia does not always worsen to high-grade dysplasia and/or cancer. In fact, it usually does not. So, if a patient's dysplasia is not worsening, doctors would rather not put patients at risk unnecessarily. On the other hand, endoscopic eradication therapy could possibly prevent the worsening of low-grade dysplasia into high-grade dysplasia or cancer (esophageal adenocarcinoma) in some patients. Researchers believe that the results of this study will help doctors choose the safest and most effective procedure for their patients with Barrett's esophagus and low-grade dysplasia. This is a multicenter study involving several academic, community and private hospitals around the United States. Up to 530 participants will be randomized. This study will also include a prospective observational cohort study of up to 150 Barrett's esophagus and low grade dysplasia patients who decline randomization in the randomized control trial but undergo endoscopic surveillance (Cohort 1) or endoscopic eradication therapy (Cohort 2), and are willing to provide longitudinal observational data.