What is Barrett esophagus?
• Barrett esophagus, or BE, is also called columnar-lined esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that carries food and liquid from the throat to the stomach. Barrett esophagus is a type of precancerous disease that affects and damages the esophagus. Precancerous means that it may lead to cancer (tumor). Normally, cells reproduce by splitting in a planned way, making more cells only when needed. With Barrett esophagus, normal cells lining the esophagus may have had an injury that caused inflammation (swelling) and damage. When the damaged areas heal, abnormal cells grow and divide without order, and replace the normal cells. This process may later lead to esophagus cancer. • A Barrett esophagus may have a long or a short segment (piece). This is based on the length of abnormal tissue starting from the gastroesophageal junction. The gastroesophageal junction is the area where the esophagus and stomach meet. A long-segment BE has abnormal tissue that measures three centimeters or more from
