Barrett’s esophagus

Barrett’s esophagus is a consequence of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease and is associated with an increased risk for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Barrett’s esophagus is defined by a columnar-lined distal esophagus with intestinal metaplasia >10 mm and the presence of goblet cells. The increased risk of developing adenocarcinoma follows several steps from low-grade dysplasia over high-grade dysplasia, leading to Barrett’s adenocarcinoma. Early Barrett’s neoplasia can usually be treated endoscopically by means of endoscopic resection followed by an ablative therapy of the remaining non-neoplastic Barrett’s epithelium. In case of more advances adenocarcinoma, surgical resection with or without perioperative chemoradiation or chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. © 2018, Springer Verlag. All rights reserved.