Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0017168 (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
 11,783 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Barrett's esophagus is an acquired condition resulting from severe esophageal mucosal injury. It still remains unclear why some patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease develop Barrett's esophagus whereas others do not. The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus is established if the squamocolumnar junction is displaced proximal to the gastroesophageal junction and if intestinal metaplasia is detected by biopsy. Despite this seemingly simple definition, diagnostic inconsistencies remain a problem, especially in distinguishing short segment Barrett's esophagus from intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia. Barrett's esophagus would be of little importance were it not for its well-recognized association with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma continues to increase and the 5-year survival rate for this cancer remains dismal. However, cancer risk for a given patient with Barrett's esophagus is lower than previously estimated. Current strategies for improved survival in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma focus on cancer detection at an early and potentially curable stage. This can be accomplished either by screening more patients for Barrett's esophagus or with endoscopic surveillance of patients with known Barrett's esophagus. Current screening and surveillance strategies are inherently expensive and inefficient. New techniques to improve the efficiency of cancer surveillance are evolving rapidly and hold the promise to change clinical practice in the future. Treatment options include aggressive acid suppression, antireflux surgery, chemoprevention, and ablation therapy, but there is still no clear consensus on the optimal treatment for these patients.
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PMID:Barrett's esophagus. 1281 3

Esophageal adenocarcinoma is a rare cancer that is increasing rapidly in incidence. Because gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a risk factor for the development of this cancer, endoscopic screening of individuals with GERD symptoms and endoscopic surveillance of those who are found to have Barrett's esophagus (BE), the presumed precursor to adenocarcinoma, have been proposed. Although no direct data support endoscopic screening or surveillance, several lines of indirect evidence are available. We apply a set of criteria for the evaluation of screening programs to endoscopic screening of subjects with reflux and endoscopic surveillance of subjects with BE. A critical examination of the data supporting these practices shows that considerable gaps exist in our knowledge regarding endoscopy as a screening test in GERD, making us unable to support this practice based on current evidence. Although no controlled trials exist to substantiate the effectiveness of surveillance programs for subjects with BE, some stronger indirect evidence does support this practice. However, further studies are necessary to substantiate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of endoscopic surveillance in BE. Based on the currently available data, consideration should be given to expanding the intervals between endoscopic surveillance sessions.
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PMID:Upper endoscopy as a screening and surveillance tool in esophageal adenocarcinoma: a review of the evidence. 1209 44

Gastroesophageal reflux is now a generally accepted risk factor for the development of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Less well known is the relationship of reflux disease (GERD) and respiratory disorders. Among the extra-esophageal manifestations of reflux disease is reflux laryngitis, which affects up to 78 patients with chronic hoarseness, Reinke's edema, laryngeal stricture, postnasal drip, asthma and non-cardiac chest pain. Despite popular opinion, changes in lifestyle (for example, cessation of smoking and drinking, avoidance of fatty foods) do not result in an improvement in symptoms. The treatment of choice for GERD is the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) in the form of stepdown therapy; in individual cases as symptom-orientated on-demand therapy.
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PMID:[Respiratory manifestations of reflux disease. Gastric acidity--poison for larynx, teeth and respiratory tract]. 1211 99

Barrett's esophagus is the most serious form of gastroesophageal reflux disease. It may develop due to uncontrolled chronic duodenogastroesophageal reflux and represents a premalignant abnormality. The question of the development of Barrett's esophagus and the progression to adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is addressed by comparison of the data available in the literature. A retrospective review of the literature on the outcome of GERD patients after surgical and medical therapy, is made. Surgical therapy is able to eliminate reflux of gastric and duodenal contents and therefore seems to be superior over medical therapy in the prevention of Barrett's esophagus and its progression to invasive cancer. Surgery should be considered in all Barrett's patients especially in young patients, patients with large hiatal hernia, increasing drug doses or noncompliance to medical therapy.
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PMID:Barrett's esophagus in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Medical therapy or antireflux surgery? 1214 70

The evidence for the recommendation that patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) be offered once in a lifetime endoscopy is weak and is not supported by any clinical trials. GERD is a very prevalent condition, yet only 10% of patients with GERD have Barrett's esophagus (BE). Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a rare condition and is uncommon even among patients with BE. A decision analysis found that surveillance of BE patients is performed because of inflated estimates of the rate of progression from BE to EAC. Dysplasia more often regresses to more benign histological findings than to cancer, and transient dysplasia can also lead to a high rate of unnecessary endoscopy. Even though practice guidelines about endoscopic surveillance have been published, there is no consensus among gastroenterologists about appropriate protocols, and many physicians are more aggressive than the guidelines. It has not been proved that surveillance saves lives, in part because BE rarely leads to death from EAC. The favourable results from some specialized centres may not be widely applicable. The recommendation for 'once in a lifetime' endoscopy for GERD patients is premature.
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PMID:Motion - All patients with GERD should be offered once in a lifetime endoscopy: arguments against the motion. 1222 84

Barrett's esophagus is a metaplastic condition that occurs in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its importance lies in its potential to develop adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus is based on finding of intestinal metaplasia of at least 3 cm of the distal esophagus. The diagnosis of intestinal metaplasia of less than 3 cm of the distal esophagus is controversial, regarding implications with GERD, adenocarcinoma, and Helicobacter pylori. The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of intestinal metaplasia in the distal esophagus in patients with short segments of esophageal columnar-appearing mucosa (less than 3 cm), diagnosed endoscopically, in two groups of patients, with and without symptoms of GERD. In total, 97 patients were examined, with endoscopic finding of esophageal columnar-appearing mucosa less than 3 cm. From the total, 52 patients had symptoms of GERD and 45 patients were without these symptoms. These patients were subjected to distal esophageal biopsies obtained immediately below the epithelial transition. The biopsies were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and alcian blue at pH 2.5. Urease test for H. pylori detection in two fragments of gastric antrum was carried out. The presence of intestinal metaplasia in the distal esophagus was diagnosed in 16 (30.8%) patients in the GERD group and 12 (26.7%) patients without GERD symptoms. No statistical differences were observed (P = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.61-2.17). The variables sex, mean age and positivity for H. pylori did not show statistical differences. This study diagnosed high prevalence of intestinal metaplasia in the distal esophagus with columnar-appearing mucosa, less than 3 cm, with no statistical differences in the two groups studied with and without GERD symptoms.
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PMID:Intestinal metaplasia in the distal esophagus and correlation with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease. 1258 Dec 51

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the common diseases of the upper gastrointestinal system. It is present in the whole world population, especially frequent in the developed countries. It evolves from pathological reflux which exposes the esophagus to the gastric contents which must overcome esophageal defense system. Many factors have been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of GERD; the most important one is the relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. Intensity of the disease is proportional to the amount of gastric contents refluxing from the stomach and the duration of esophageal exposure to this contents. GERD is currently in the spotlight because of its special significance in the development of very specific disease in the lower part of the esophagus--Barrett's esophagus, as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma which has lately been increasing in prevalence. Today, unrecognized and inadequately cured GERD is known to be a high risk factor for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. In recent years the relation between GERD and Helicobacter pylori infection has been the topic of investigation by many prominent researchers. Therapy of GERD is based on inhibition of acid secretion. There are many different therapeutic agents available, however, proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are considered to be the most effective in the treatment of this disease.
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PMID:[Gastroesophageal reflux disease and Helicobacter pylori infection]. 1259 18

We investigated TP53 mutation patterns in cancers of the esophagus and cardia of patients coming from Lower Normandy, a region situated in the highest incidence area in Europe. To screen tumor samples, we first used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), a well-characterized technique which constituted our reference method. Then the results were compared with those obtained by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), a recent and automatic screening technology. Analysis of the TP53 mutations profile showed that the detected alterations were mainly point mutations. Ninety-seven percent (33/34) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma samples presented at least one mutation or polymorphism. The proportion of somatic, non-silent and sequence-confirmed mutations was 76% (26/34). The most common substitutions were G-->A transitions, which could be related to nitrosamines, acetaldehyde or factors prone to producing mucosal irritation, like hot beverages. G-->T transversions, which were also frequently detected, could originate from benzo[a]pyrene in tobacco smoke. A-->T transversions were not revealed in our series, which constitutes a discordance with mutational spectra already performed in north-western France. Concerning adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia, the alteration frequency was 69% (11/16), with a majority of G-->A transitions at CpG dinucleotides. They are probably related to endogenous process mediated by inflammatory diseases like gastro-esophageal reflux and Barrett's esophagus. The main advantage provided by DHPLC was its ease of application. However, the optimization steps turned out to be quite critical, especially for sequences with high melting temperatures embedded in lower melting temperature fragments. Considering only the common sequences analyzed by the two techniques, four of the 46 positive samples detected by DGGE were not revealed by DHPLC. This result stresses the limited sensitivity of DHPLC compared with DGGE under the conditions described in this study.
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PMID:Simultaneous use of DGGE and DHPLC to screen TP53 mutations in cancers of the esophagus and cardia from a European high incidence area (Lower Normandy, France). 1271 98

Concern has been expressed about the rapid increase in the incidence of esophageal carcinoma in the United States. This rise is due to an increase in the number of cases of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Because of the relatively small number of cases of esophageal carcinoma, the absolute risk of developing this cancer in the United States remains small. Potential origins for this increase in esophageal adenocarcinoma are examined in this review, including the risk induced by obesity, low dietary antioxidants, high dietary fat, family history of breast cancer, smoking, gastroesophageal reflux, and Barrett's esophagus. The risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma is inversely associated with infection by Helicobacter pylori organisms. A better understanding of risk factors involved in the increased incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma is important for development of new preventive strategies for this serious disorder.
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PMID:The changing face of esophageal malignancy. 1273 39

Esophageal carcinoma is a highly lethal disease with increasing prevalence and an equally dramatic epidemiologic shift. Its causal association with gastroesophageal reflux disease and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is well established, and the molecular events underlying this progression from mucosal injury to metaplasia to dysplasia to carcinoma are now becoming clear. Current diagnostic modalities and preoperative staging systems have significant limitations. The extent of surgical resection for esophageal carcinoma remains controversial. Disease confined to the mucosa and submucosa is more common, and endoscopic ablative techniques have been proposed. However, preoperative evaluation of tumor depth and regional nodal metastases remains inadequate in these very early lesions and urges caution before adoption of therapies that may compromise cure. Patients with disease confined to the mucosa or submucosa should undergo resectional therapy aimed at removing the entire esophageal wall, including the periesophageal and perihiatal lymph nodes. For disease penetrating the submucosa, the extent of surgical therapy must be tailored to the objectives of treatment (cure vs palliation) and preoperative stage. Although data from seven prospective, randomized trials are encouraging, no clear survival benefit has been documented for neoadjuvant combined-modality therapy. Surgical resection remains the standard of care and best chance for cure in the treatment of esophageal malignancy, with combined-modality therapy reserved for prohibitive surgery candidates.
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PMID:Surgical management of esophageal malignancy. 1273 40


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