Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR)

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is a minimally invasive procedure to remove a tumor or abnormality from the GI tract. In the esophagus, this is most commonly performed for precancerous or early cancerous lesions associated with Barrett’s esophagus, though it is also performed for other types of tumors or precancerous lesions. The procedure involves using specific tools and techniques to cut the abnormal tissue away from the normal esophagus. EMR is performed as a minimally invasive alternative to surgery for precancerous or early cancerous lesions of the esophagus. Your doctor will help you determine if the tumor or lesion is appropriate for EMR. The risks of EMR include bleeding or perforation. These risks are low (generally <5%) but may require additional procedures or hospitalization. After the lesion is removed, there is generally a surveillance protocol that your doctor will recommend. This means that another endoscopy will be performed within an early interval (such as a few months) to confirm the resection was complete or to remove or ablate additional abnormal tissue.