Clinical Utility of Biomarkers for Barrett's Esophagus: Guidelines and Future Directions

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a major risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and is the only known precursor lesion for this lethal cancer. Although BE is relatively common among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, most patients with BE will never progress to EAC. Moreover, the cadence of progression from nondysplastic BE to dysplasia to EAC may be variable. The histologic grading of dysplasia during endoscopy is the most widely used prognosticator for risk stratification and management of BE based on its stepwise progression from low-grade dysplasia to high-grade dysplasia to mucosal EAC, and finally, to invasive EAC.