The Management of Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Multicenter Observational Study

There is a lack of reports on the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) during colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

We aimed to assess whether the use of DOACs is associated with a higher incidence of delayed bleeding (DB) after ESD.

A total of 4175 colorectal neoplasms in 3515 patients were dissected at our hospitals during study period. We included 3909 lesions in the final analysis. The lesions were divided into two groups: the no-AT group (3668 neoplasms) and the DOAC group (241 neoplasms). We also compared the DOAC withdrawal group (154 neoplasms) and the DOAC continuation group (87 neoplasms).

Among the 3909 lesions, DB occurred in a total of 90 cases (2.3%). The rate of DB was 2.2% (82/3668), and 3.3% (8/241), respectively. There were no significant differences in the rate of DB between the no-AT group and the DOAC group. In the DOAC group, there were no significant differences in the rate of DB between the withdrawal group (5.2%, 8/154) and the continuation group (0%, 0/87). The multivariable analysis identified the location of the lesion in the rectum (odds ratio [OR], 4.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.614–6.242; p < 0.001) and lesions ≥ 30 mm in diameter (OR, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.349–7.34; p < 0.001) as independent risk factors for DB.

Our findings suggest that DOAC use has no significant important on the rate of DB. Prospective studies are warranted to determine whether treatment with DOACs should be interrupted prior to colorectal ESD.