©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2016; 22(35): 8060-8066
Published online Sep 21, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i35.8060
Published online Sep 21, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i35.8060
Trajectories of endoscopic Barrett esophagus: Chronological changes in a community-based cohort
Shouji Shimoyama, Toshihisa Ogawa, Toshiyuki Toma, Gastrointestinal Unit, Settlement Clinic, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-0003, Japan
Author contributions: Shimoyama S designed and performed the research, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper; Ogawa T and Toma T performed the research.
Correspondence to: Dr. Shouji Shimoyama, Gastrointestinal Unit, Settlement Clinic, 4-20-7, Towa, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-0003, Japan. shimoyama@apost.plala.or.jp
Telephone: +81-3-36057747 Fax: +81-3-36050244
Received: May 29, 2016
Peer-review started: May 29, 2016
First decision: June 20, 2016
Revised: June 30, 2016
Accepted: August 5, 2016
Article in press: August 5, 2016
Published online: September 21, 2016
Processing time: 108 Days and 7.6 Hours
Peer-review started: May 29, 2016
First decision: June 20, 2016
Revised: June 30, 2016
Accepted: August 5, 2016
Article in press: August 5, 2016
Published online: September 21, 2016
Processing time: 108 Days and 7.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: The authors demonstrated that the appearance or complete regression of Barrett esophagus (BE) occurs constantly over time. Both phenomena are associated with a hiatus hernia but not gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-suggested symptoms, suggesting that the appearance of BE occurs silently. These findings imply that a lack of GERD-suggested symptoms is not sufficient to exclude patients from screening an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for identifying BE. The endoscopists should bear in mind that, along with the silent BE story, they should not miss the chance for the detection of BE and subsequent esophageal adenocarcinoma at an early, presymptomatic stage.