Role of endoscopic ultrasound in anticancer therapy: Current evidence and future perspectives

The digestive system is one of the most common sites of malignancies in humans. Since gastrointestinal tumors represent a massive global health burden both in terms of morbidity and health care expenditures, scientists continuously develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods to ameliorate the detrimental effects of this group of diseases. Apart from the well-established role of the endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the diagnostic course of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary malignancies, we have recently become acquainted with a vast array of its therapeutic possibilities. A multitude of previously established, evidence-based methods that might now be guided by the EUS emerged: Radiofrequency ablation, brachytherapy, fine needle injection, celiac plexus neurolysis, and endoscopic submucosal dissection. In this review we endeavored to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of these methods in different malignancies of the digestive system, primarily in the treatment and symptom control in pancreatic cancer, and additionally in the management of hepatic, gastrointestinal tumors, and pancreatic cysts.