A report on Esophageal cancer, Barrett's esophagus, Heartburn and Esophagus

Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach.

Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which there is an abnormal (metaplastic) change in the mucosal cells lining the lower portion of the esophagus, from stratified squamous epithelium to simple columnar epithelium with interspersed goblet cells that are normally present only in the small intestine and large intestine.

This change is considered to be a premalignant condition because it is associated with a high incidence of further transition to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an often-deadly cancer.

Heartburn is usually due to regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux) into the esophagus.

Adenocarcinoma arises from glandular cells present in the lower third of the esophagus, often where they have already transformed to intestinal cell type (a condition known as Barrett's esophagus).

The esophagus may be affected by gastric reflux, cancer, prominent dilated blood vessels called varices that can bleed heavily, tears, constrictions, and disorders of motility.

frequent and longstanding heartburn

Pain behind the breastbone or in the region around the stomach often feels like heartburn.

Esophageal cancers

Dysfunction of the gastroesophageal sphincter causes gastroesophageal reflux, which causes heartburn, and, if it happens often enough, can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease, with damage of the esophageal mucosa.

Endoscopy looking for erosive changes of the esophagus consistent with prolonged acid exposure (e.g. - Barrett's esophagus)

Normally, the cardia of the stomach is immediately distal to the z-line and the z-line coincides with the upper limit of the gastric folds of the cardia; however, when the anatomy of the mucosa is distorted in Barrett's esophagus the true gastro-eshophageal junction can be identified by the upper limit of the gastric folds rather than the mucosal transition.