Surgical Treatment of High-Grade Dysplasia and Superficial Carcinoma

The recent rise of the incidence of adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and the squamocolumnar junction has resulted in an intense and renewed interest in its precursor lesions like reflux esophagitis, metaplasia and dysplasia. The understanding of these sequential steps to invasive carcinoma resulted in a growing awareness regarding the detection of Barrett’s esophagus and initiated some large surveillance programs for patients with this condition. As the large majority of adenocarcinomas is detected at a symptomatic and an advanced stage, the results of treatment are dismal even after surgery.