# Barrett's oesophagus

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/barretts-esophagus/  
OnCo record `barretts-esophagus` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A change in the lining of the lower oesophagus caused by acid reflux that can, in a minority, progress through dysplasia to adenocarcinoma. It is why Western oesophageal cancer is mostly adenocarcinoma.

## Summary

Intestinal metaplasia of the distal oesophagus in ~1-2% of adults; annual progression to adenocarcinoma ~0.1-0.3%, higher with dysplasia. Surveillance endoscopy, radiofrequency ablation and endoscopic resection for dysplasia, and proton-pump inhibitors (AspECT) reduce progression. Non-endoscopic screening (Cytosponge, capsule sponge) is being evaluated for population use.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-07
- Also known as: Barrett's; Barrett; Barrett's esophagus; Barrett oesophagus; Barrett's metaplasia; intestinal metaplasia; barretts-oesophagus

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett%27s_esophagus
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett%27s_esophagus

## Connected records

- terms: [Dysplasia (pre-cancerous change)](https://onco.cc/terms/dysplasia/), [EMR and ESD (endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopic submucosal dissection)](https://onco.cc/terms/endoscopic-resection-term/), [Gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ)](https://onco.cc/terms/gej/), [Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)](https://onco.cc/terms/radiofrequency-ablation/), [Squamous cell carcinoma vs adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus](https://onco.cc/terms/escc-vs-eac/)
- technologies: [Chemoprevention & risk-reducing surgery](https://onco.cc/technologies/chemoprevention/), [Endoscopic resection (EMR / ESD)](https://onco.cc/technologies/endoscopic-resection/)
- cancers: [Oesophageal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/esophageal/)
- fronts: [Early Detection & Screening](https://onco.cc/fronts/early-detection/)
- ideas: [Intercept cancer at the field stage](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-field-interception/), [Non-endoscopic screening for Barrett's oesophagus and early adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-non-endoscopic-barretts-screening/)
- bottlenecks: [The hardest cancers are found late](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-early-detection/)
- pathways: [Basement membrane & tissue barriers](https://onco.cc/pathways/basement-membrane-tissue-barriers/), [Field cancerisation](https://onco.cc/pathways/field-cancerisation/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/barretts-esophagus.json