I have read some of the letters and want to clear up whe question whether Barrett's is curable or not. I was diagnosed with Barret's about four years ago. I am not a doctor but I think anyone who predicates an arguement or an opinion that doctors are not interested in curing people but are only interested in money is ignorant. Don't listen to them. They could get you in serious trouble. Keep going to your doctor and taking care of your selves.

Barrett's is not curable. But that doesen't mean that you are going to get cancer. Berrett,s is caused by stomach acid entering the esophogus and damaging the cells. These cells change into ones similar to those in the stomach and become unstable. They are therefore pre-cancerous. Over time new healthy calls can grow over the Barratt's. This is why some people think it is cured. but it is not. the precancerous cells can still become cancerous. Ths is why your doctor prescribes regular endoscopies. during this proceedure they take a biopsy at the site to see if any cells have changed to a more dangerous type.

Consider this. the chance of Barrett's turning cancerous is two in a thousand. So if you continue with the endoscopy you have a good chance it can be treated. The treatment is radical which is why Barrett's is not treated until absolutely necessaty.

A recent proceedure is called Photodynamic therapy. The patient is injected with a drug which is absorbed by the body cells. The healthy cells get rid of it faster than the Barrett's cells. Afetr a time a laser is inserted down the throat and directs a laser beam to the site of the Barrett's cells. The emmission from the laser (630 nanometers) causes a chemical change in the cancerous cells due to the influence of the laser on the drug which remains in the cancerous cell, and kills them.

My gastroenterologist who has been practicing for over 20 years has never seen a case of Barrett's which has becone cancerous. so don't worry too much aboutit but make sure you get an endoscopy regularly. The fact that you no longer have acid reflux is important, but some danage has been done and it won't go away. That's why it must be watched; not because the doctors are only interested in money.