More than 60 million people in the United States suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) at least once a month; for 10 to 25 million Americans, GERD is a daily occurrence. Common symptoms are heartburn, difficulty swallowing, and reflux or regurgitation of stomach fluid into the esophagus. Persistent GERD may lead to esophageal damage and may precede other serious conditions such as severe esophageal irritation, swelling, erosion, ulceration, narrowing, and Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition that can proceed to adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer. During an endoscopic examination, Barrett’s esophagus can be detected based on characteristic changes in the layer of tissue covering the inside of the esophagus. A diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus is confirmed when a biopsy shows that this tissue has changed to a type not normally found in the esophagus. Only about 10% of GERD patients develop Barrett’s esophagus, and a very small number of these patients progress to esophageal cancer. Patients who have
Barrett’s esophagus need regular endoscopic exams so that abnormal growth or cancer can be detected and treated at early stages. Approximately 700,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus and each year, approximately 13,000 new cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma are detected.