Association between continuous cessation or reduction of drinking alcohol and improvement of multiple dysplastic lesions in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after endoscopic resection

Background: Multiple development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the upper aerodigestive tract has been explained by the ‘field cancerization phenomenon’ associated with alcohol drinking. Squamous dysplastic lesion is clinically visualised as a Lugol-voiding lesion (LVL) by chromoendoscopy. Whether cessation or reduction of alcohol drinking improves multiple LVL and reduces the risk of field cancerization has not been elucidated. Methods: We analysed 330 patients with newly diagnosed superficial esophageal SCC (ESCC) enrolled in the cohort study. The grade of LVL was assessed in all patients every 6 months. We instructed the patients to stop smoking and drinking and recorded their drinking and smoking status every 6 months. Results: Among 330 patients, we excluded 98 with no LVL or no drinking habit. Of the remaining 232 patients, 158 continuously ceased or reduced their drinking habit. Patients who ceased or reduced their drinking habit significantly showed improvement in the grade of LVL. Multivariate analysis showed that continuous cessation or reduction of drinking habit improved the grade of LVL (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7–153.8, p = 0.0053). Higher grade of LVL carried a high risk of multiple ESCC and head and neck SCC (HNSCC) (HR = 3.7, 95% CI 2.2–6.4, p < 0.0001). Improvement in LVL significantly decreased the risk of multiple ESCC and HNSCC (HR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.04–0.7, p = 0.009). Conclusions: This is the first report indicating that field cancerization was reversible and cessation or reduction of drinking alcohol could prevent multiple squamous dysplastic lesion and multiple ESCC and HNSCC development. Clinical trials registry number: UMIN000001676.