Front Med (Lausanne). 2026 May 20;13:1816591. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1816591. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Rectal neuroendocrine tumor (NET) is relatively common together with pancreatic NET in the context of a rare disease. Endoscopic resection is a commonly used treatment method. The aim of this prospective study is to analyze the safety and efficacy of endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) in the treatment of rectal NET.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) group and the EFTR group. Compare whether there are statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative complications, hospital stay, and the rate of positive surgical margins.
RESULTS: This study included 58 patients, 43 patients were in the ESD group and 15 patients were in the EFTR group. There were no significant statistical differences between the two groups in terms of gender (P = 0.975), age (P = 0.477), and length of hospital stay (P = 0.207). Neither of the two groups of patients experienced delayed perforation after the operation (P = 1.000). In the ESD group, there was one patient who experienced delayed bleeding, while in the EFTR group, there were no patients with delayed bleeding (P = 0.746). In the ESD group, 4 patients had positive margins, while in the EFTR group, no patients had positive margins (P = 0.291). In the ESD group, 17 patients had tumor margins less than 500 micrometers from the bottom, while in the EFTR group, no patient had such a condition (P = 0.002).
CONCLUSION: Endoscopic full-thickness resection combined with endoscopic purse-string suture is a safe method for treating rectal NETs, and it has a higher complete resection rate compared to ESD.
PMID:42245963 | PMC:PMC13229794 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2026.1816591
