Stephanie Lachapelle for Reflux1According to a research team from Yokohama City University School of Medicine, the shape and length of Barrett’s epithelium may help identify a subgroup of patients at high risk for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Barrett’s epithelium is a condition in which the tissue lining the esophagus is replaced by tissue similar to that of the lining of the intestine. The condition is asymptomatic, but increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer, and has been linked to acid reflux. Because chronic inflammation caused by conditions like acid reflux has been shown for more than a century to contribute to the development of cancer, researchers hypothesized a link between Barrett’s epithelium and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Researchers have previously confirmed a link between the existence of Barett’s epithelium in the presence of acid reflux and the development of adenocarcinoma, and researchers hypothesized that the incidence of adenocarcinoma correlated to the shape and size of Barrett’s esophagus.
Researchers inspected the esophagi of 869 patients through endoscopy and found that 374 patients, or 43%, were affected. Positive cases were classified by length of the affected area, less than or greater than two centimeters, and by the shape, a flame like or a lotus like area, according to the established Prague S & M Criteria.
It was found that most of the diagnosed cases were short-segment. The prevalence of erosive esophagitis, the type of reflux that leads to esophageal adenocarcinoma, was significantly higher in patients with flame-like Barrett’s areas, and in those with an affected area of greater than two centimeters. These researchers hope that the identification this subgroup of high risk patients will help to develop a more efficient screening process for Barrett’s epithelium.
