New research is exploring low-cost, non-invasive ways to diagnose Barrett's esophagus, a condition associated with deadly esophageal cancer, to find effective strategies to identify patients with this condition.
Oct 28, 2024
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A man from Cambridge is the first to join the surveillance part of a clinical trial that could see routine screening for esophageal cancer introduced into the NHS, potentially halving deaths from this cancer every year.
Jan 10, 2024
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Metaplasia is defined as the replacement of a fully differentiated cell type by another. There are several classical examples of metaplasia, one of the most frequent is called Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus is characterized ...
Apr 21, 2021
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Cancer Research UK-funded researchers have developed a new technique to help experts diagnose Barrett's esophagus—a pre-cancerous condition that can increase the risk of developing oesophageal cancer.
Apr 16, 2021
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Bacon is a much-loved, comforting breakfast item—during the global pandemic, sales have surged in the US and the UK. But while bacon may be delicious, experts recommend people eat little or no processed meats because of ...
Jan 18, 2021
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A "sponge on a string" pill test can identify ten times more people with Barrett's esophagus than the usual GP route, according to a new study funded by Cancer Research UK and published in The Lancet today. The test, which ...
Jul 31, 2020
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Genetic variations that are linked with the onset of Barrett's oesophagus (BE), a pre-cancerous condition of the lower end of the gullet, have been identified for the first time. The discovery of variations in regions on ...
Sep 9, 2012
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(Medical Xpress) -- Cancer Research UK has launched a large multi-centre trial to test a new device for detecting Barrett’s oesophagus – a condition that puts sufferers at increased risk of developing cancer of ...
Oct 14, 2011
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Barrett's esophagus (British English: Barrett's oesophagus), sometimes called Barrett's syndrome or columnar epithelium lined lower oesophagus (CELLO), refers to an abnormal change (metaplasia) in the cells of the inferior portion of the esophagus. A positive diagnosis generally requires observing specific macroscopic and microscopic changes. The normal squamous epithelium lining of the esophagus is replaced by metaplastic columnar epithelium. Columnar epithelium refers to a cell type that is typically found in more distal parts of the gastrointestinal system. The medical significance of Barrett’s esophagus is its strong association with esophageal adenocarcinoma, a particularly lethal cancer.
The main cause of Barrett's esophagus is thought to be an adaptation to chronic acid exposure from reflux esophagitis. In the last 40 years, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been increasing in the Western world. Barrett's esophagus is found in 5–15% of patients who seek medical care for heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD), although a large subgroup of patients with Barrett's esophagus do not have symptoms. It is considered to be a premalignant condition because it is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer (more specifically, adenocarcinoma) of about 0.5% per patient-year. Diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus requires endoscopy (more specifically, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, a procedure in which a small camera is inserted through the mouth to examine the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum) and biopsy. The cells of Barrett's esophagus, after biopsy, are classified into four general categories: non-dysplastic, low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, and frank carcinoma. High-grade dysplasia and frank carcinoma patients are generally advised to undergo surgical treatment. Non-dysplastic and low-grade patients are generally advised to undergo annual observation with endoscopy. In high-grade dysplasia, the risk of developing cancer might be at 10% per patient-year or greater.
The condition is named after Norman Barrett (1903–1979) who described the condition in 1950.
This text uses material from Wikipedia licensed under CC BY-SA
