MULTIPLE ADENOMATOUS NEOPLASMS ARISING IN COLUMNAR-LINED (BARRETTS) ESOPHAGUS

Abstract

Multiple polypoid masses were found in the esophagus of a 62 yr old man. He underwent esophageal resection because exfoliative and brush cytological studies were positive for adenocarcinoma. The surgical specimen showed that the esophagus was lined by columnar epithelial cells which were focally hyperplastic, forming polypoid masses. In the masses and mucosa between them, there were atypical epithelial cell changes, ranging from dysplasia to focal carcinoma. These findings reinforce the concept that the Barrett''s (columnar) epithelium is a premalignant lesion deserving periodical screening.