Pavel Svoboda, Radek Měch, Radek Kroupa, Petr Dítě, Pavel Klvaňa, Tomáš Kupka, Martina Bojková, Jana Žmolíková, Irena Urbanovská, Magdalena Uvírová, Petr Buzrla, Jana Dvořáčková
Barrett’s oesophagus (BO) represents a serious complication of oesophageal reflux disease. It is a precancerous condition
with 30 times higher risk of adenocarcinoma. The study discusses the risk factors and the predictors of progression
to adenocarcinoma in Barrett’s oesophagus. The risk factors and the progression markers include the seriousness of
oesophageal reflux disease, the presence and the degree of dysplasia of Barrett’s oesophagus, the length of BO, the
presence of visible endoscopic lesions in BO, hiatal hernia, excess weight and obesity, smoking, male sex, high-fat diet,
oesophageal achalasia, and high socioeconomic standard. The role of molecular genetics in the diagnosis and in the
prediction of Barrett’s oesophagus development is gradually rising, too. The knowledge of these indicators may facilitate
the selection of patients with BO and thus improve the effectiveness of their monitoring.