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Is chemotherapy associated with development of Barrett's esophagus?

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Abstract

Columnar-lined or Barrett's esophagus is a premalignant condition. It is almost unvariably due to chronic gastroesophageal reflux. Since there are some reports that Barrett's esophagus can be induced by chemotherapy, we investigated 20 male patients, treated with chemotherapy for testicular cancer, and 18 female patients, treated with high-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer. Only one patient in the testicular cancer group had Barrett's esophagus of the circumferential type, in addition to typical reflux esophagitis and a hiatal hernia four years after chemotherapy. In the breast cancer group one patient had an indeterminate junction. Our results do not support the hypothesis that chemotherapy poses a substantially increased risk for the development of Barrett's esophagus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Divisions of Gastroenterology, Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Frans T. M. Peters MD, Dirk Th. Sleijfer MD, Gustaaf W. van Imhoff MD & Jan H. Kleibeuker MD

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  1. Frans T. M. Peters MD
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  2. Dirk Th. Sleijfer MD
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  3. Gustaaf W. van Imhoff MD
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  4. Jan H. Kleibeuker MD
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Peters, F.T.M., Sleijfer, D.T., van Imhoff, G.W. et al. Is chemotherapy associated with development of Barrett's esophagus?. Digest Dis Sci 38, 923–926 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01295921

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01295921

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