Risk factors for Barrett's esophagus : a scoping review

Ireland, CJ; Thompson, SK; Laws, TAC; Esterman, A

Abstract

Introduction Cancer of the esophagus is a highly lethal
disease with many patients presenting with metastatic
spread of their tumor at diagnosis; a consequence of this
late presentation is the 5-year survival rate of \20 %.
Barrett’s esophagus (BE), a premalignant condition of the
distal esophagus, is the main risk factor for adenocarcinoma
of the esophagus. The development of a risk prediction
tool that could assist healthcare professionals in
identifying people at increased risk of developing BE
would be advantageous. Understanding the factors that
influence the risk of developing BE is the first stage of
developing a risk prediction tool.
Methods A scoping review was undertaken to address the
following question ‘what factors influence the risk of
developing Barrett’s esophagus?’ Forty-six articles were
included in this review.
Results The majority of articles reviewed were case–
control or cohort studies. Samples sizes ranged from 68 to
84,606. Risk factors reported to be statistically significant
were divided into three categories: demographic, lifestyle
and clinical factors. Strongest risk factors identified
include: male gender, increasing age, white race, smoking,
obesity and gastro-esophageal reflux disease symptoms,
while some aspects of a person’s diet appear to act as a
protective measure.
Conclusion Risk factors for BE are complex and need to
be considered by healthcare professionals when identifying
patients that could benefit from endoscopic eradication.
These results provide a stepping stone for the future
development of a risk prediction model.

Citation

Ireland, C., Thompson, S., Laws, T., & Esterman, A. (2016). Risk factors for Barrett's esophagus : a scoping review. Cancer Causes and Control, 27(3), 301-323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0710-5

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 22, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Feb 5, 2016
• Publication Date: Feb 5, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 14, 2017
• Journal: Cancer Causes & Control
• Print ISSN: 0957-5243
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 301-323
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0710-5
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0710-5
• Related Public URLs: https://link.springer.com/journal/10552