Factors influencing development of non-cardiac chest pain after endoscopic submucosal dissection for esophageal neoplasms: a retrospective case–control study of 309 patients from a single center

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is widely used for early stage esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions. Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is a frequent complication of ESD. However, little is known about its incidence and associated factors. This study investigated the pain incidence and predictive factors for pain development after ESD for esophageal neoplasms. We enrolled a total of 309 patients with esophageal neoplasms, who underwent ESD in our center from January 2018 to June 2019. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological information for all patients was collected, and patients were divided into either a pain-free group (n = 156) or a pain group (n = 153) according to whether there was onset of NCCP 24-48 hours after surgery. We made comparisons between groups using Student's t test or the χ2 test. Logistic-regression analysis was used to screen for risk factors. There were statistically significant differences in histories of previous surgery (P = 0.039), lesion size (P = 0.026), operation time (P = 0.009), and postoperative fever (P = 0.001). History of previous surgery (P = 0.043) and postoperative fever (P = 0.007) were independent risk factors for chest pain after esophageal ESD treatment. Chest pain and fever prolonged postoperative hospitalization time (P = 0.005, P = 0.001) and increased hospitalization cost (P = 0.034, P < 0.001). A history of previous surgery and postoperative fever was associated with the occurrence of NCCP after ESD in patients with esophageal neoplasms. NCCP and fever after esophageal ESD increased both hospitalization time and cost.