Extent of resection and lymphadenectomy in early Barrett's cancer

The recognition of Barrett's esophagus as a premalignant condition has led to aggressive endoscopic screening protocols aimed at detecting adenocarcinoma in this organ. This policy has resulted in an increasing number of patients who present with 'early Barrett's cancer'. In the existing literature, very little data address patients with these lesions and, therefore, no consistent definition of early Barrett's cancer currently exists. Additionally, the extent of resection and lymphadenectomy that should be performed is not known. We define early Barrett's cancer as clinical T1N0M0 adenocarcinoma. We perform en bloc esophagectomy with radical lymphadenectomy for these lesions because current data suggest that a more radical operation may improve survival in patients with esophageal cancer. It is also the only way to stage adequately the tumour and is associated with morbidity and mortality rates comparable to less radical, 'standard' resections in experienced hands. Barrett's esophagus is associated with invasive adenocarcinoma in 40% of patients who undergo esophagectomy for the preoperative diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia. The existing literature suggests these lesions may represent the earliest subset of Barrett's cancer and that a standard, less radical resection may suffice for these patients.