ReviewStrategies for the prevention of oesophageal adenocarcinoma

- Urgent action is required to halt the dramatic rise in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
- Aspirin and statins have demonstrated significant potential as chemopreventive agents.
- Modern endoscopic therapies (EMR and RFA) can prevent progression to malignancy.

The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has increased by 500% over the past 30 years [1]. Improved understanding of the mechanisms of neoplastic progression provides an opportunity to reverse this trend. A thorough review of emerging strategies aiming to prevent the formation of oesophageal malignancy is presented. These include dietary modification, chemoprevention, early endoscopic identification and treatment of premalignant disease, and the potential for a non-endoscopic screening test. Oesophageal adenocarcinoma has become a major public health problem in the West and it is essential that clinicians are fully informed of risk reduction strategies so that they can be actively promoted in the community.