Endoscopic mucosal resection was developed in Eastern countries as a curative treatment for superficial carcinomas in the stomach and oesophagus. Experience in Western countries is more recent and limited due to less frequent diagnosis of early gastric cancers compared to the Japanese and Korean populations and to more frequent use of ablation techniques such as argon plasma coagulation and photodynamic therapy in pre-neoplastic lesions and superficial tumours. This review summarizes the respective indications, advantages, disadvantages, limitations and complications of the different ablative and resection techniques in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Several methods are described such as electrocoagulation, argon plasma coagulation, photodynamic therapy, lift and cut resection, cap assisted aspiration and band ligation mucosectomy, and endoscopic submucosal dissection. Local results in more than 170 patients managed with endoscopic resection of oesophageal high grade dysplasia or squamous cell carcinoma and gastric or Barrett's epithelium high grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma furthermore demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of endoscopic resection practiced in experienced centres.