Chromosomal rearrangements in Barrett's esophagus. A premalignant lesion of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Cytogenetic analysis of 15 short-term cultures of Barrett's esophagus were investigated. In five cases, the number of metaphases identified were insufficient for analysis. Of the remaining ten cases, nine contained clonal chromosome abnormalities. Of these nine cases, one demonstrated a structural chromosome rearrangement, t(3;6)(q21;p23); one case demonstrated trisomy for chromosomes 5 and 7; and seven cases demonstrated loss of the Y chromosome as a clonal change. Our results demonstrate that Barrett's esophagus is frequently characterized by clonal proliferation of karyotypically abnormal cells.