Barrett esophagus
Meaning of Barrett esophagus: This condition replaces the esophagus's normal lining with a different cell type after long term acid reflux, and carries a modestly increased cancer risk.
Definition of Barrett esophagus
Barrett esophagus is a condition in which the normal lining of the lower esophagus, made up of flat squamous cells, is replaced by a different type of cell more typical of the intestine, a change called intestinal metaplasia. This change is generally seen as the tissue's response to prolonged irritation.
The condition develops most often in people with long standing gastroesophageal reflux, in which stomach acid repeatedly backs up into the esophagus and irritates its lining over time. Not everyone with reflux develops Barrett esophagus, and the reasons some people develop the change while others do not are not fully understood.
Barrett esophagus is monitored because the altered tissue carries a modestly increased risk of progressing, through intermediate stages of abnormal cell changes called dysplasia, toward esophageal cancer, although this progression occurs in only a minority of people with the condition.
Used in a sentence
Endoscopy revealed changes in the lower esophagus consistent with Barrett esophagus.
Good to know
Barrett esophagus itself is not cancer but a tissue change that carries a modestly increased risk of eventually progressing toward esophageal cancer, which is why the condition is monitored over time rather than treated as a cancer diagnosis itself.