Heat Reduces Cancer Spots For Barrett’s Esophagus Patients

Boston (HealthKnowItAll) - A study of 127 people with Barrett’s esophagus has found that treating them with heat can remove cancer spots associated with the condition.

In the study, those patients treated with radiofrequency energy were far less likely to develop cancer within one year of the procedure than those treated with a placebo procedure.

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition that is related to heartburn, and acid backing up into the throat, burning away the lining and replacing it with abnormal cell growth.

According to the American Cancer Society, People with the condition are reportedly up to 30 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer than people who do not have it.

“Patients with Barrett’s esophagus can go on to develop esophageal cancer, ” states Steven A. Edmundowicz, M.D., lead investigator at the study site at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Cancer of the esophagus usually is deadly. Less than 15 percent of patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma survive for five years, and in those with advanced Barrett’s esophagus, the risk that the condition will advance to become cancer is about 6 percent per year.”