What is the role of cytokeratins in barrett/cardia differentiation?
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2-1-2005
Journal
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Volume
129
Issue
2
Abstract
The importance of distinguishing between Barrett metaplasia and intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia is now accepted, and the management of each entity is quite different. Patients with Barrett metaplasia are enrolled in surveillance programs, consisting of periodic endoscopy and biopsy, because of the known risk of developing adenocarcinorna of the esophagus. Patients with intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia, however, are not currently enrolled in such programs, because this condition carries a low risk of developing adenocarcinorna of the gastric cardia. The distinction between both conditions by morphologic examination of routine histologic sections of endoscopic biopsies is extremely difficult if at all possible. A group of investigators proposed the use of immunostains for cytokeratin (CK) 7 and CK20 to overcome such difficulty. They concluded that the Barrett CK7/CK20 pattern was a highly sensitive and specific marker for Barrett metaplasia. Their observations, however, were not confirmed by other investigators. However, because it may be associated with premalignant lesions elsewhere in the gastric mucosa, we propose that intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia may have the same clinical implication as Barrett metaplasia.
APA Citation
Younes, M. (2005). What is the role of cytokeratins in barrett/cardia differentiation?. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 129 (2). Retrieved from https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/smhs_path_facpubs/1023