Surgical oncology clinics of North America
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The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has increased dramatically in the western world, and there also appears to have been an increase in the incidence of Barrett's esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux disease in recent years. The contemporaneous increase in obesity has focused interest on whether obesity is a risk factor for EAC and its precursors. This article reviews current evidence for the role that overweight/obesity and body fat distribution have in development of the esophagitis metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence. Particular attention is paid to the stage at which adiposity may act to influence the risk of EAC, because this determines the importance of weight control and weight loss at each stage in the disease spectrum for the prevention of EAC.
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Surg. Oncol. Clin. N. Am. · Jul 2009
ReviewMedical treatment of Barrett's esophagus: can it prevent cancer?
The challenge of the title of this article is attention getting. How can medical therapy prevent cancer if anti-reflux surgery cannot prevent the neoplastic progression of Barrett's esophagus? Can anything short of esophagectomy prevent cancer? In the face of the increasing incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus into the twenty-first century, the medical therapy of Barrett's esophagus and its potential role in preventing cancer are explored.