title: Differences in the Characteristics of Barrett's Esophagus and Barrett's Adenocarcinoma between the United States and Japan.
abstract: In Europe and the United States, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased 6-fold in the last 25 years and currently accounts for more than 50% of all esophageal cancers. Barrett's esophagus is the source of Barrett's adenocarcinoma and is characterized by the replacement of squamous epithelium with columnar epithelium in the lower esophagus due to chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Even though the prevalence of GERD has recently been increasing in Japan as well as in Europe and the United States, the clinical situation of Barrett's esophagus and Barrett's adenocarcinoma differs from that in Western countries. In this paper, we focus on specific differences in the background factors and pathophysiology of these lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Takamatsu, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oryu
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobara
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Mitsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masaki