There are no reliable follow-up data on how long one can live with mild barrett’s esophagus, and the prognosis is still mainly related to the risk of malignancy.
Barrett’s esophagus is a pathology that refers to the replacement of the complex squamous epithelium of the lower esophagus by a chemotaxonomic single layer of columnar epithelium. According to the journal JClinOncol, patients with BE have a 30- to 125-fold higher risk of cancer than the general population, and once they develop esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the 5-year survival rate is <13%.
Data on the risk of malignancy in mild barrett's esophagus, defined as non-heterotrophic hyperplasia, varies considerably.Wani et al. found that the incidence of progression to EAC in non-heterotrophic hyperplasia was 1.4% and 2.1% after 5 and 10 years of follow-up.Sikkema et al. found that the overall incidence of progression to EAC in patients with BE who had non-heterotrophic hyperplasia and who did not have any other risk factors was <1%.1 The risk of progression to EAC in patients with barrett's esophagus was also higher than the general population.
Mild barrett's esophagus with a low risk of cancer should be reviewed endoscopically every 2 years, with a 3-year interval between reviews if no heteroplasia or early cancer is detected.