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Query: UMLS:C0154059 (Esophagus)
 2,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Oral cavity. Most carcinomas in situ of the oral cavity present as red or pink lesions that do not have a keratinized surface. Scrapings of such lesions readily disclose abnormal squamous cells diagnostic of cancer. Scrapings of the keratinized white lesions (so-called leukoplakia) are of no diagnostic value. Dentists, who are most likely to uncover precancerous lesions, are apparently not aware of the diagnostic options based on simple scrape smears. The method is also applicable to follow-up of patients with treated cancer of the oral cavity. Esophagus. Cytologic evaluation of esophageal cancer, initially by washings and subsequently by brushings under endoscopic control, is an established method of diagnosis. The diagnostic results are very good in symptomatic cancer patients and have an accuracy reaching 85-90%. Unfortunately the results of treatment of advanced lesions are very poor, with 5-year survival of only about 5%. Serious efforts at detection of early esophageal cancer started in China in the 1960s, using an abrasive balloon technique which was applied to asymptomatic populations in high risk areas such as Linxian in the Henan province of Central China. The Chinese investigators reported the finding of numerous precancerous lesions of the esophagus classified as carcinoma in situ and as dysplasia. Surgical resection of some of the precursor lesions apparently resulted in a significant drop in the rate of invasive carcinoma, although the statistical results were not convincingly presented. The balloon technique has been tested by us and by others in South Africa and in Transkei, confirming its efficacy in the diagnosis of early esophageal cancer. Peripheral lung. Sputum and bronchial brush cytology may uncover bronchogenic carcinoma in situ and early invasive cancers located in the primary or secondary bronchi. Small, peripheral lung lesions usually do not shed cells in sputum or brushings, and their discovery is usually based on roentgenologic finding. The identity of such lesions can be confirmed in most cases by a transcutaneous aspiration. Most of the peripheral malignant lesions are small adenocarcinomas or epidermoid carcinomas, both resectable by routine surgical procedures. Less commonly, oat cell carcinomas may be observed and these lesions should not be treated by surgery. Benign lesions such as granulomatous inflammation and fungal infections may also be identified by aspiration techniques. The prognosis of the resectable carcinomas varies with their size and the presence or absence of regional lymph node metastases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Cytologic diagnosis of oral, esophageal, and peripheral lung cancer. 841 10

The recognition of Barrett's esophagus as a premalignant condition has led to aggressive endoscopic screening protocols aimed at detecting adenocarcinoma in this organ. This policy has resulted in an increasing number of patients who present with 'early Barrett's cancer'. In the existing literature, very little data address patients with these lesions and, therefore, no consistent definition of early Barrett's cancer currently exists. Additionally, the extent of resection and lymphadenectomy that should be performed is not known. We define early Barrett's cancer as clinical T1N0M0 adenocarcinoma. We perform en bloc esophagectomy with radical lymphadenectomy for these lesions because current data suggest that a more radical operation may improve survival in patients with esophageal cancer. It is also the only way to stage adequately the tumour and is associated with morbidity and mortality rates comparable to less radical, 'standard' resections in experienced hands. Barrett's esophagus is associated with invasive adenocarcinoma in 40% of patients who undergo esophagectomy for the preoperative diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia. The existing literature suggests these lesions may represent the earliest subset of Barrett's cancer and that a standard, less radical resection may suffice for these patients.
Dis Esophagus 1997 Jul
PMID:Extent of resection and lymphadenectomy in early Barrett's cancer. 928 75

Barrett's esophagus carries a 10-15% lifetime risk of malignant change, and dysplasia may be an early indication of such transformation. Endoscopic surveillance is widely practised but guidelines have not been established. A questionnaire regarding surveillance protocols was sent to all consultants in the Trent Region performing endoscopy (n = 79), of whom 58 (73%) replied. Surveillance is performed by 52 clinicians (90%), but the interval varies between 1 and 3 years. Routine biopsies are only taken by 38 (65%), of which 74% are taken randomly. Detection of low-grade dysplasia would lead 32 (62%) to reduce the surveillance interval. For high-grade dysplasia, a reduced surveillance interval or surgery is advocated by 36 (69%) and 13 (25%), respectively. Most clinicians (74%) discontinue surveillance at age 70 or 75. Surveillance of Barrett's esophagus is variable, especially in the presence of dysplasia. No surveillance guidelines are available, but most respondents (79%) believe these would help.
Dis Esophagus 1997 Jul
PMID:Surveillance of Barrett's esophagus: a need for guidelines? 928 77

Helicobacter pylori (HP) plays a crucial role in gastric carcinogenesis. Few studies have looked at the relationship between HP and Barrett's esophagus/cancer. To further investigate this, a study comparing the prevalence of HP and increasing grades of dysplasia was undertaken. Biopsies from 19 malignant and 94 benign cases of Barrett's esophagus were analysed histologically for the presence of HP. 34% of non-dysplastic Barrett's epithelium was colonized with HP compared with only 17% of dysplastic/malignant cases (P = 0.04). No relationship was found between HP status and: (i) length of Barrett's esophagus; (ii) the presence of ulcers or strictures; and (iii) previous anti-reflux surgery. HP colonization of Barrett's esophagus is not uncommon. We found that HP has a negative correlation with increasing dysplasia which is analogous to gastric carcinogenesis. This finding should be investigated in prospective studies to elucidate its role in Barrett's adenocarcinoma.
Dis Esophagus 1997 Jul
PMID:Helicobacter pylori colonization of Barrett's esophagus and its progression to cancer. 928 79

Flow cytometry has also been used to study the nuclear DNA content (ploidy) and cell cycle kinetics of esophageal cancers. Studies of limited numbers of patients with Barrett's esophagus undergoing endoscopic surveillance suggested that aneuploidy may be a useful marker to identify subsets of patients at increased risk for malignancy. Few studies to date have evaluated premalignant tissues associated with the development of squamous-cell cancer of the esophagus. The present retrospective study comprises 80 surgical specimens of squamous-cell carcinoma of the esophagus from a high-incidence region of Thailand. All patients had surgery at the Department of Surgery, Prince of Songkla University, between March 1983 and December 1993. Sets of serial sections were cut every 0.5 cm starting from the proximal margin and down to the distal margin, and histopathology was confirmed to flow cytometric parameters (DNA content, S-phase fraction). Aneuploidy was found in 84% of squamous-cell carcinoma, 22.2% of carcinoma in situ, 28.6% of severe dysplasia, 11.0% of moderate dysplasia and 0% of mild dysplasia and normal esophageal mucosa specimens. The percentage was higher according to the level of severity or dysplasia. S-phase fraction was found to be 21.0 +/- 0.9% in squamous-cell carcinoma, 20.3 +/- 10.3% of carcinoma in situ, 20.9 +/- 5.3% of severe dysplasia, 12.9 +/- 9.7% of moderate dysplasia 7.6 +/- 0.8% of mild dysplasia and 8.9 +/- 3.2% of normal tissue. Similarly, the percentage of S-phase fraction tends to be higher according to the level of severity or dysplasia. These findings demonstrate that the aneuploidy and percentage of S-phase fraction tend to correlate with progression of esophageal premalignant tissues to invasive carcinoma. These measures may be clinically useful to identify patients at increased risk for esophageal malignancy.
Dis Esophagus 1997 Jul
PMID:Flow cytometry in squamous cell esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions. 928 81

Esophageal cytology may improve sensitivity for the detection of malignancy but can be difficult to interpret in the presence of inflammation. To assess the value of cytology in assessing patients with Barrett's esophagus a retrospective review was performed. One hundred and sixty two patients (87 esophageal/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, 65 non-dysplastic Barrett's esophagus and 10 dysplastic Barrett's esophagus) had biopsies and brushings taken for histological and cytological assessment. Eighty two of 92 patients with carcinoma or high-grade dysplasia had true positive malignant cytology. Seven of 65 patients with non-dysplastic but inflamed Barrett's esophagus had false positive malignant cytology. One of these patients had an esophagectomy on the basis of cytology but no tumor was found in the resection specimen. This translates into an 89% sensitivity and specificity of cytology for the detection of esophageal columnar neoplasia. Cytology from Barrett's esophagus can be misleading in the presence of severe inflammation. Cells from a benign Barrett's ulcer may appear frankly malignant when examined in isolation. Esophagectomy should not be performed on the basis of cytological evidence alone.
Dis Esophagus 1997 Oct
PMID:Brush cytology in the diagnosis of neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus. 945 48

Studies in human beings and animals have shown that esophageal exposure to duodenal and gastric contents may be important for the development of Barrett's esophagus and its complications, including adenocarcinoma and epidermoid carcinoma. Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is a carcinogen that stimulates the development of epidermoid carcinoma in the esophagus of mice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of gastroduodenal and gastric content reflux on induction of esophageal carcinogenesis. Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and gastroduodenoesophageal reflux (GDER) were produced by cardioplasty and esophagoduodenostomy. The chosen carcinogen was DEN, diluted in drinking water, given 3 days a week for 20 consecutive weeks. One hundred Wistar female rats were divided into six groups, as follows: group 1 (18 rats), cardioplasty without DEN; group 2 (18 rats), cardioplasty with DEN; group 3 (10 rats), only water; group 4 (17 rats), cardioplasty with DEN; group 5 (17 rats), esophagoduodenostomy with DEN; group 6 (20 rats), only DEN. GER in isolation induced papillomatosis or ulceration in 22.2% of rats and, when associated with DEN, induced papillomatosis in 61.1% of rats. GDER in isolation induced marked esophagitis in 61.1% of rats, Barrett's esophagus in 16.7% and esophageal adenocarcinoma in 16.7%; when associated with DEN, 23.5% of rats presented marked esophagitis, papillomatosis or ulceration, whereas 76.5% had esophageal carcinoma, with 70.6% epidermoid carcinoma and 5.9% adenocarcinoma. Rats treated with water alone did not show histologic abnormalities of the esophageal mucosa. Rats treated with DEN alone developed papillomas in 50.0% of the cases and remained histologically unchanged in 50.0%. There was no development of low- or high-grade dysplasia in any group. The conclusions are that (1) GDER is significantly more deleterious to esophageal mucosa than GER; (2) in this study, GER did not present carcinogenic potential in relation to the esophagus; (3) GDER in isolation is an esophageal carcinogen, producing Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma; (4) esophageal oncogenesis caused by GDER is potentiated by DEN, inducing esophageal epidermoid carcinoma; (5) in this study, DEN in isolation did not generate tumors in the esophagus of rats.
Dis Esophagus 1999
PMID:Influence of surgically induced gastric and gastroduodenal content reflux on esophageal carcinogenesis--experimental model in Wistar female rats. 1046 42

The significance of specialized intestinal metaplasia in the esophagus is its associated risk with esophageal adenocarcinoma. This tumor has increased in incidence by over 70% in 20 years. Specialized intestinal metaplasia is the most important risk factor for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and has been reported in 9-32% of unselected patients in general endoscopy units. The annual risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma for patients with specialized intestinal metaplasia is thought to be approximately 1%, at least 30 times that of the general population. Those with long segments of specialized intestinal metaplasia are thought to be at the greatest risk. Both environmental and molecular changes have been identified in the transition from squamous epithelium through specialized intestinal metaplasia to esophageal adenocarcinoma. The most important molecular changes include impaired regulation of the cell cycle, altered function of known oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes, changes in cell adhesion molecules, and aneuploidy. This has given rise to a metaplasia/dysplasia/carcinoma model for the evolution of esophageal carcinoma.
Dis Esophagus 1999
PMID:Barrett's esophagus: an overview of the molecular biology. 1063 8

Diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is usually late. Staining of the mucosa with Lugol's solution during endoscopy has been suggested to identify early cancer/dysplasia and may improve prognosis. Lugol was tested during endoscopy in 96 asymptomatic subjects at risk for this tumor, who were found to have atypias after exfoliative cytology in southern Brazil. Biopsies were obtained in Lugol's 'stained' and 'unstained' areas in the esophageal mucosa and the histologic results were compared. 'Unstained' areas were present in 64 (66.7%) instances: 44 'unstained' areas over mucosa with normal appearance revealed seven dysplasias (four high and three low grade), whereas 20 'unstained' areas with visible lesions contained only one dysplasia (low grade). 'Stained' areas in 96 (100%) subjects showed two additional dysplasias (one high and one low grade). In this study, Lugol 'unstained' areas were of great value for detection of dysplasias (sensitivity = 80%; specificity = 63%; p = 0.01, Fisher's exact test; CI = 95%; odds ratio = 6.7).
Dis Esophagus 1999
PMID:Esophageal dysplasias are detected by endoscopy with Lugol in patients at risk for squamous cell carcinoma in southern Brazil. 1063 11

The classic endoscopic diagnosis of a Barrett's esophagus (BE) is based on the finding of > or =3 cm, of distal esophagus covered by specialized columnar epithelium. However, currently, it is based on the finding of intestinal metaplasia (IM) at the squamous-columnar mucosal junction, independent of its extent. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus by endoscopic and histological findings in control subjects and in patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Three hundred and six control subjects and 376 patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux were included in this prospective study. Patients with Barrett's esophagus were classified in three groups as follows. 1. Intestinal metaplasia at the cardia. When endoscopy showed non-Barrett's esophagus, but histological intestinal metaplasia was found. 2. Short-segment Barrett's esophagus. When <3 cm, was covered with tongues or finger-like or creeping substitution of distal esophagus. 3. Long-segment Barrett's esophagus. When > 3 cm, of distal esophagus was covered by specialized columnar epithelium. Two biopsies at the antrum, four biopsies at the squamous-columnar junction and one or two at the distal esophagus were taken. In control subjects, 1.6% showed histological IM at the esophagogastric junction. In patients with GER without esophagitis or with erosive esophagitis, IM was found in 18% and 10.7% respectively. 'Short-segment' Barrett's esophagus was three times more frequent than 'long-segment' Barrett's esophagus. Patients with Barrett's esophagus were significantly older than the other groups. The presence of complications or erosions, peptic ulcer or stricture were significantly more frequent among patients with 'long-segment' Barrett's esophagus (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of dysplasia was similar in all groups of patients with Barrett's esophagus. Complications such as ulcers, stricture and dysplasia were exclusively seen among patients with BE, whereas non-Barrett's patients did not exhibit these complications. In control subjects, IM can be found in a low percentage of cases. Among patients with symptoms of GER, the classic endoscopic diagnosis of a Barrett's esophagus can underestimate this condition in 80% of the cases. Patients with intestinal metaplasia at the cardia already present 17% of the cases with low-grade dysplasia. In all patients with symptoms of GER, systematic biopsies at the squamous-columnar junction should be taken.
Dis Esophagus 2000
PMID:Prevalence of Barrett's esophagus by endoscopy and histologic studies: a prospective evaluation of 306 control subjects and 376 patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux. 1100 24


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