OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological features of columnar-lined esophagus (CLE) in Chinese patients. METHODS: Among 182 consecutive resections of proximal gastric cancer with residual esophageal tissue, 114 were eligible for the study. The maximal lengths of CLE and superficial esophageal glands (SEG) and the presence or absence of chronic inflammation (CI), lymphoid follicles (LF), Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, intestinal metaplasia (IM), pancreatic metaplasia (PM) and dysplasia were analyzed and compared with those in the adjacent proximal gastric mucosa. RESULTS: SEG were present in 110 cases with a mean length of 5.4 mm (range 1-16 mm, 90% equal to or under 10 mm and 10% between 11-16 mm). These glands were associated with CI (95%), LF (85%), H. pylori infection (42%), IM (25%), PM (36%) and dysplasia (10%). CLE was found in 65% of the cases and was associated with SEG (mean length of 4.0 mm, range 1-13 mm, 97% within 10 mm and 3% between 11-13 mm). The frequencies of CI (97%), LF (86%), H. pylori infection (65%) and PM (46%) in CLE were similar to those in the proximal stomach (CI 90%, LF 54%, H. pylori infection 58%, PM 39%). In contrast, the frequencies of IM (37%) and dysplasia (15%) in CLE were significantly lower than those in the proximal stomach (66% and 31%, respectively; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: CLE in Chinese patients was within 10 mm in length in 97% of cases, and with SEG and H. pylori infection-related changes similar to those in the proximal stomach.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological features of columnar-lined esophagus (CLE) in Chinese patients. METHODS: Among 182 consecutive resections of proximal gastric cancer with residual esophageal tissue, 114 were eligible for the study. The maximal lengths of CLE and superficial esophageal glands (SEG) and the presence or absence of chronic inflammation (CI), lymphoid follicles (LF), Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, intestinal metaplasia (IM), pancreatic metaplasia (PM) and dysplasia were analyzed and compared with those in the adjacent proximal gastric mucosa. RESULTS: SEG were present in 110 cases with a mean length of 5.4 mm (range 1-16 mm, 90% equal to or under 10 mm and 10% between 11-16 mm). These glands were associated with CI (95%), LF (85%), H. pylori infection (42%), IM (25%), PM (36%) and dysplasia (10%). CLE was found in 65% of the cases and was associated with SEG (mean length of 4.0 mm, range 1-13 mm, 97% within 10 mm and 3% between 11-13 mm). The frequencies of CI (97%), LF (86%), H. pylori infection (65%) and PM (46%) in CLE were similar to those in the proximal stomach (CI 90%, LF 54%, H. pylori infection 58%, PM 39%). In contrast, the frequencies of IM (37%) and dysplasia (15%) in CLE were significantly lower than those in the proximal stomach (66% and 31%, respectively; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: CLE in Chinese patients was within 10 mm in length in 97% of cases, and with SEG and H. pylori infection-related changes similar to those in the proximal stomach.