[Barrett Esophagus - Update of clinical management and therapy options]

Adenocarcinomas of the esophagus are very similar to those of the stomach and most likely develop in the gastric cardia, from where proliferating cells expand into the esophagus and form benign Barrett's mucosa. An additional genomic instability leads to the clonal evolution of certain cells, which can lead to the development of adenocarcinoma.

A clear definition of factors is urgently needed for better risk stratification and the establishment of preventive strategies. Current prediction models, which include overweight, diet or tobacco consumption, have not yet been able to establish themselves in clinical application.

Current guidelines exist for diagnostics and monitoring. The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus is performed histopathologically from 4-quadrant biopsies. In addition, macroscopically conspicuous areas of the Barrett mucosa should be biopsies. The detection of neoplastic areas can be improved by using chromoendoscopy in combination with magnification endoscopy and staining techniques (methylene blue or acetic acid).

The curatively intended endoscopic resection is the standard therapy for dysplastic Barrett's metaplasia, mucosal (T1a m) and superficial submucosal (T1a sm1) adenocarcinoma. Here, cap and ligature resection as well as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) represent the recommended resection techniques and, in combination with radiofrequency ablation, the therapy according to guidelines.