Barrett's Esophagus of long segment (2 of 11)

People with "long-segment" Barrett's esophagus, in which the red lining is 3 cm or more in length, are about 40 times more likely than those in the general population to develop esophageal cancer. As a result, they typically undergo regular endoscopic screening and biopsies to ensure their condition has not progressed to cancer. Substantially more common, however, is "short -segment" Barrett's, in which the patch of affected tissue is no more than 3 cm long. Until recently, esophageal-cancer risk in people with shorter segments was largely unknown because such patients often were excluded from studies because their condition was more difficult to diagnose through endoscopy, and because researchers initially were uncertain whether short-segment Barrett's indeed was a cancer risk factor at all.