title: Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the normal stratified squamous epithelium is replaced by a specialized metaplastic columnar epithelium. It develops as a consequence of chronic gastroesophageal reflux and predisposes to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma develops in Barrett's esophagus by a multistep process in which specialized metaplasia progresses to dysplasia, then to early adenocarcinoma, and eventually to deeply invasive and metastatic disease. This neoplastic progression is associated with a process of genomic instability that generates abnormal clones of cells, some of which have aneuploid or increased G2/tetraploid DNA content. A systematic protocol of endoscopic biopsy can detect Barrett's adenocarcinomas at an early stage, when they may be curable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000209:etiology*; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D001706:Biopsy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence