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Get answers to your Barrett's esophagus questions.
Dr. Greenwald’s Bio | Q&A Archive
TREATMENT OF GERD
Treatment should improve symptoms, and may keep Barrett's esophagus from getting worse.
Lifestyle changes include:
Medications to relieve symptoms and control gastroesophageal reflux include:
Anti-reflux surgery may help with symptoms of GERD, but will not cause Barrett's esophagus to go away.
TREATMENT OF BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS
Surgery or other procedures may be recommended if a biopsy shows cell changes that are very likely to lead to cancer. Such changes are called severe or high-grade dysplasia.
Some of these procedures remove the harmful tissue in your esophagus, where the cancer is most likely to develop.
People with Barrett's esophagus have an increased risk of esophageal cancer. Still, only a small number of people with Barrett's esophagus develop cancer. Follow-up endoscopy to look for dysplasia or cancer is often advised.
Treatment should improve symptoms and may keep Barrett's esophagus from getting worse. None of these treatments will reverse the changes that may lead to cancer.
Call your health care provider if:
Wilson JF. In the clinic. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:ITC2-1-ITC15; quiz ITC2-16.
Wang, KK and Sampliner RE. Updated guidelines 2008 for the diagnosis, surveillance and therapy of Barrett's esophagus. Am J Gastroenterol. 2008;103:788-797.
Shaheen NJ, Sharma P, Overholt BF, Wolfsen HC, Sampliner RE, Wang KK, et al. Radiofrequency ablation in Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:2277-2288.
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