Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Arising from Barrett's Epithelium in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chia-Hung Tu, Ching-Tai Lee, Daw-Shyong Perng, Chun-Chao Chang, Chih-Hung Hsu, Yi-Chia Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2007-08-01
• Series: Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
• Subjects: Barrett's esophagus; esophageal adenocarcinoma; gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664608600248

The prevalence of Barrett's esophagus (BE) in Eastern countries is rising to match the prevalence in the West. However, a corresponding trend of BE-associated adenocarcinoma has yet to be observed in Asia. Historically, adenocarcinoma complicating BE has been considered a rare event in Taiwan. In the present report, we collected three Taiwanese cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma arising from BE. The first case was a 37-year-old man with an advanced cancer that developed on pre-existing BE after a 3-year interval without endoscopic surveillance. The second case was a 63-year-old man who presented with odynophagia and was found to have an ulcerative tumor centered on the characteristic Barrett's mucosa. The final case was a 44-year-old man who presented with gradual-onset dysphagia and weight loss, without typical reflux symptom. Our report emphasizes the need for an updated epidemiologic study to determine the incidence of BE-associated adenocarcinoma in Taiwan.