Current Status of Chemoprevention in Barrett's Esophagus

Abstract

Candidates for chemoprevention in Barrett's esophagus have long been suggested and there has been observational data to support many drugs, including statins, hormone replacement therapy, metformin, proton pump inhibitor therapy, and aspirin. Proton pump inhibitor therapy and aspirin are the most promising agents. Data suggest that aspirin and proton pump inhibitor therapy can decrease the risk of neoplastic progression in Barrett's esophagus. Further, the combination of aspirin and proton pump inhibitor therapy decrease all-cause mortality by approximately 33%. Future guideline groups need to evaluate the evidence rigorously, but the combination of proton pump inhibitor therapy and aspirin is promising.

Keywords: Aspirin; Barrett’s esophagus; Chemoprevention; Esophageal adenocarcinoma; HRT; Metformin; Proton pump inhibitor; Statins.