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What Is Barrett's Esophagus?

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Posted on Thu, 9 Oct 2014
Question: Hi Doctor: My husband who is 53 years old has been diagnosed with BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS. HAD AN ENDOSCOPY AND HAD BIOPSY DONE WAITING FOR RESULT. NOT SURE WHAT THIS ALL IS AND COULD THIS BE CANCER?
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Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (39 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Probably not, but could be in the future

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Barrett's esophagus is not cancer. It is the result of damaged epithelial cell lining of the esophagus by gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Metaplastic cells reside where the damage occured. This makes the damaged esophagus area prone to malignant transformation.
Your husband's situation needs close surveillance. The surveillance strategy depends for the most part on the biopsy result. If there's dysplasia (the biopsy report will clarify that) then this could potentially lead to cancer and repeated endoscopy between regular intervals (perhaps every 3 months) is warranted.
Please note that most patients won't have cancer but the risk is largely increased when compared to healthy individuals.
I hope I've addressed your concerns.
If you have more questions on the subject, I'll be glad to answer!
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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Answered by
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Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3809 Questions

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What Is Barrett's Esophagus?

Brief Answer: Probably not, but could be in the future Detailed Answer: Hello, Barrett's esophagus is not cancer. It is the result of damaged epithelial cell lining of the esophagus by gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Metaplastic cells reside where the damage occured. This makes the damaged esophagus area prone to malignant transformation. Your husband's situation needs close surveillance. The surveillance strategy depends for the most part on the biopsy result. If there's dysplasia (the biopsy report will clarify that) then this could potentially lead to cancer and repeated endoscopy between regular intervals (perhaps every 3 months) is warranted. Please note that most patients won't have cancer but the risk is largely increased when compared to healthy individuals. I hope I've addressed your concerns. If you have more questions on the subject, I'll be glad to answer! Kind Regards!