Recent advances in Barrett's esophagus

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the only known precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma, one of the few cancers with increasing incidence in developed countries. The pathogenesis of BE is unclear with regard to either the cellular origin of this metaplastic epithelium or the manner in which malignant transformation occurs, although recent data indicate a possible junctional origin of stem cells for BE. Treatment of BE may be achieved using endoscopic …