[Barrett's esophagus]

The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus is rendered based on proof of intestinal metaplasia in the tubular portion of the esophagus. Barrett's develops in a percentage of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease; risk factors include a long history of the disease, age over 40 years and Caucasian skin. Specifics about a genetic predisposition have not become known to date. Each year, around one out of every 200 patients with Barrett's epithelium develop adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, the incidence of which has risen dramatically over the past two decades. Apart from the early stages, the prognosis for this type of Barrett's carcinoma is extremely unfavorable, even after esophagectomy. It therefore appears sensible to examine patients with a long history of reflux and/or frequently recurrent reflux symptoms and to develop screening strategies for timely detection of persons with Barrett's esophagus along with subsequent monitoring. This would involve regular endoscopic studies accompanied by biopsies aimed at excluding or demonstrating the intraepithelial neoplasms that count as direct precursors to cancer. Treatment of nonneoplastic Barrett's esophagus can be symptomatic. Although theoretically logical, the benefits of normalizing esophageal acid exposure have not been proven. When high-grade intraepithelial neoplasms or mucosal carcinomas have been confirmed, local endoscopical resection and/or ablation appear sufficient, since the risk of lymph node metastasis is extremely low. Previous studies on this subject have been very promising, but should be continued and/or verified. Definitive therapy of more advanced tumor stages is currently given according to multimodal concepts established in an interdisciplinary manner.