Linked Color Imaging Focused on Neoplasm Detection in the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

Background: Linked color imaging (LCI) is a new image-enhanced endoscopy technique that allows users to recognize slight differences in mucosal color. Objective: To compare the performance of LCI with white light imaging (WLI) in detecting neoplastic lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Design: A controlled, multicenter trial with randomization using minimization. (University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry: UMIN000023863) Setting: 16 university hospitals and 3 tertiary care hospitals in Japan. Patients: 1502 patients with known previous or current cancer of the gastrointestinal tract and undergoing surveillance for gastrointestinal cancer. Intervention: WLI followed by LCI examination (WLI group) or LCI followed by WLI examination (LCI group). Measurements: Diagnosis of 1 or more neoplastic lesions in the pharynx, esophagus, or stomach in the first examination (primary outcome) and 1 or more neoplastic lesions overlooked in the first examination (secondary outcome). Results: 752 patients were assigned to the WLI group and 750 to the LCI group. The percentage of patients with 1 or more neoplastic lesions diagnosed in the first examination was higher with LCI than with WLI (60 of 750 patients or 8.0% [95% CI, 6.2% to 10.2%] vs. 36 of 752 patients or 4.8% [CI, 3.4% to 6.6%]; risk ratio, 1.67 [CI, 1.12 to 2.50; P = 0.011]). The proportion with overlooked neoplasms was lower in the LCI group than in the WLI group (5 of 750 patients or 0.67% [CI, 0.2% to 1.6%] vs. 26 of 752 patients or 3.5% [CI, 2.3% to 5.0%]; risk ratio, 0.19 [CI, 0.07 to 0.50]). Limitation: Endoscopists were not blinded. Conclusion: LCI is more effective than WLI for detecting neoplastic lesions in the pharynx, esophagus, and stomach. Primary Funding Source: Fujifilm Corporation.