Endoscopic Surveillance of Patients with Barrett Esophagus
Authors: FRANK A. LEDERLE
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

Letters and Corrections1 October 1987Endoscopic Surveillance of Patients with Barrett EsophagusFRANK A. LEDERLE, M.D.FRANK A. LEDERLE, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-107-4-592_2 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: In a recent editorial (1), Dr. Spechler advocated endoscopic surveillance for patients with Barrett esophagus to prevent esophageal cancer. Several aspects of his analysis deserve further scrutiny. First, Dr. Spechler argues that the risk of cancer in these patients is sufficient to warrant surveillance because it is higher than the risk in a region of China where mass screening has been implemented. However, no justification is given for the Chinese policy. In fact, this program appears to have had little effect on mortality (2). Second, Dr. Spechler cites the incidence of esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett...References1. SPECHLER S. Endoscopic surveillance for patients with Barrett esophagus: does the cancer risk justify the practice? Ann Intern Med. 1987;106:902-4. LinkGoogle Scholar2. SCHOTTENFELD D and FRAUMENI J. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders; 1982:620. Google Scholar3. VENNES J and SILVERSTEIN F. Upper gastrointestinal fiberoptic endoscopy. In: SLEISENGER MH, FORDTRAN JS, eds. Gastrointestinal Disease. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders; 1983:1613. Google Scholar4. LANDEFELD J and SESKIN E, The economic value of life: linking theory to practice. Am J Public Health. 1982;72:555-66. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. WEINSTEIN M and STASON W. Cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent or treat coronary heart disease. Ann Rev Public Health. 1985;6:41-63. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. ROBIN E. Iatroepidemics: a probe to examine systematic preventable errors in (chest) medicine. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1987;135:1152-6. MedlineGoogle Scholar1. SILVIS S, NEBEL O, ROGERS G, SUGAWA C, and MANDELSTAM P. Endoscopic complications: results of the 1974 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Survey. JAMA. 1976;235:928-30. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. GOY J, HEROLD E, JENKINS P, COLMAN J, and RUSSELL D. "Openaccess" endoscopy for general practitioners: experience of a private gastrointestinal clinic. Med J Aust. 1986;144:71-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. LEVINSKY N. The doctor's master. N Engl J Med. 1984;311:1573-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: FRANK A. LEDERLE, M.D.Affiliations: Minneapolis VA Medical Center Minneapolis, MN 55417 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byChronology of the Barrett’s metaplasia–dysplasia–carcinoma sequence*Oesophageal intestinal metaplasia 1 October 1987Volume 107, Issue 4Page: 592-593KeywordsCancer screeningEsophageal cancerEsophagusMortalityPatient advocacy ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 October 1987 PDF downloadLoading ...