How often does Barrett’s esophagus come back after RFA treatment?
In a recent study evaluating durability of cure in Barrett’s esophagus patients who had undergone RFA treatment, 92% of patients remained cured at 5 years. Barrett’s esophagus recurred in 8% of the patients. In the patients with recurrent Barrett’s esophagus, the recurrent disease was the same grade as the original (baseline) disease. In other words, there was no disease progression in these patients. It is extremely important to maintain good acid control after RFA treatment. This may be achieved by medications (such as PPIs) or by surgical or endoscopic repair, or a combination of the two. The patients described in the study above continued on acid suppression medication (mostly PPIs) after RFA to prevent Barrett’s esophagus recurrence.
