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Barrett’s Esophagus: Am I Going to Get Cancer? What Should I Do to Avoid It?

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Abstract

Barrett’s esophagus has been a controversial issue for over half a century in that the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma associated with this condition warrants early detection of this disease, but there are disagreements regarding how best to do this. This chapter reviews the pathogenesis, histologic variations, epidemiology, surveillance tools, and treatment modalities as they pertain to Barrett’s esophagus. The general consensus, per major gastroenterological societies, is to screen and survey those at significant risk with endoscopy. Though the molecular pathogenesis has been extensively studied, precise risk stratification using biomarkers has not yet been delineated. Treatment modalities have and continue to evolve during this time, allowing for more endoscopic eradication options. However, this is a dynamic topic, and there is much more to be learnt about the disease.

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Correspondence to Lavanya Viswanathan M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P. .

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Viswanathan, L., Sharma, P. (2018). Barrett’s Esophagus: Am I Going to Get Cancer? What Should I Do to Avoid It?. In: Bardan, E., Shaker, R. (eds) Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59352-4_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59352-4_13

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