Gastroesophageal reflux disease: From heartburn to cancer

Abstract

About 10%-15% of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease develop Barrett’s esophagus. This is considered a premalignant condition because it can progress from metaplasia to high-grade dysplasia, and eventually to adenocarcinoma. Recently, major advances have been made in the endoscopic treatment of Barrett’s esophagus, therefore limiting the role of surgery in the treatment of this disease.

Keywords: Gastroesophageal reflux disease; Barrett’s esophagus; Esophageal adenocarcinoma; Laparoscopic fundoplication; Radiofrequency ablation; Esophageal endoscopic mucosal resection; Minimally invasive esophagectomy

Gastroesophageal reflux disease affects an estimated 20% of the population in the United States. About 10%-15% of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease develop Barrett’s esophagus, which eventually can progress to adenocarcinoma, which is currently the fastest growing cancer in the United States. It is recognized that adenocarcinoma is in most cases the end stage of a sequence of events whereby the squamous esophageal epithelium is initially replaced by columnar epithelium without dysplasia. Subsequently, the metaplastic epithelium can progress to low- and high-grade dysplasia and eventually cancer[1-3].