Barret´s Oesophagus and Cancer

The Barret´s epithelium, caused by a chronic reflux disease, is premalignant. Perhaps as many as 10% of patients with a Barret´s epithelium consisting a large portion of the oesophagus get adenocarcinoma.

These pictures shows a malignant easily bleeding part of the Barret´s oesophagus, with normal Barret´s epithelium in the upper part of the pictures, and the malignant changes in the lower part. Biopsies showed adenocarcinoma. This patient was over 80 years old, and had suffered from heartburn most of his life.