Barrett's esophagus and the risk of esophageal cancer: An adjusted surveillance interval for women.

Project summary

The number of patients with esophageal cancer is increasing. Currently, one in five people who die from cancer die of esophageal cancer. Barrett’s esophagus is a precursor disorder of esophageal cancer. These patients are periodically checked by stressful but essential gastroscopies for signs of progression.

The time between two controls is primarily based on the risk of developing esophageal cancer among men with Barrett’s esophagus. On the other hand, it has been known for years that women have a twice as low chance of developing esophageal cancer.

In this study we want to translate the knowledge about the reduced risk of esophageal cancer into the implementation of a longer time between two controls for women with Barrett. Subsequently, these adjusted intervals will be implemented in the guidelines and thus in practice.

The ultimate goal is to safely reduce the unnecessarily high burden of gastroscopies for women.