Open Access

Background and aims Transfer of ESD technique for early gastrointestinal cancer from Japan requires expert-supervised experimental training before unsupervised implementation of clinical ESD. Aims To evaluate unsupervised implementation of ESD-intention-to-treat (-ITT). Methods ESD Workshops (in-vivo porcine model) lasted 3.3 days including one day theory for 177 participants from 135 Western referral centers. A questionnaire was sent to the senior participant of all 135 centers. Design Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Main outcome measurements Performance, organ distribution, severe adverse events of ESD-ITT. Results Feedback was received from 113 centers (84%), i.e. 73 (54%) ESD centers and 40 centers (30%) with zero ESD; 10 (7%) had published ESD; no feedback from 12 (9%) centers with unknown status. Altogether, 83 centers (61.5%) perform ESD: 21 (16%) had >150 ESD (professional category), 33 (24%) had 31-150 ESD (competent category), and 29 (21.5%) had ≤ 30 ESD (initial learning category). Most implemented ESD centers (91%, 72 of 79) were analyzed: Centers on initial learning (420 ESD) compared to centers with >30 ESD (5676 ESD) performed en-bloc ESD in 64% vs. 84%, hybrid-ESD in 26% vs.11% and piecemeal-EMR in 10% vs. 5.2%. Majority of ESD (66-68%) were in colorectum, overall with low risk (30-day mortality 0.03%, surgical repair 3.5% vs. 1.7%) and satisfactory outcome (oncosurgery 7.4% vs. 5.2%, local recurrence 1.5% vs. 0.3%). Conclusions Beyond guideline recommendations, unsupervised implementation of ESD was successful in colorectum with step-up approach. Now, Western ESD centers have to aim for professional (i.e. >80%) curative ESD.