Acid Reflux and Cancer

News 14 Carolina has a story of Bill Mohler. He developed Barrett's Esophagus. Mohler a three cups of coffee a day man had suffered from acid reflux for over fifty years.

Mr. Mohler was treated with a new liquid nitrogen that is sprayed down the throat. It freezes the bad cells and kills them. We have talked before about Barrett's and the dangers. Precancerous cells are a real risk with acid reflux.

The liquid nitrogen treatment is being used at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The procedure takes about twenty minutes.

This is part of a larger study and Mr. Mohler and the rest of the participants will be tracked for complications and success longterm. For now this looks like a real breakthrough in fighting one of the larger and more dangerous consequences of acid reflux.

Read about my experience with acid reflux.

Acid Reflux and Overweight Linked

Scientists and doctors have found a link to being overweight and acid reflux. Amazingly this only found the link in women. The study was done by the University La Sapienza of Rome.

It appears that the reasoning behind this link could be due to estrogen. The hormone estrogen can cause the lower esophageal sphincter to lose its functionality. That in addition to overeating can lead to the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. This causes it to not be able to perform the function of keeping the stomach contents, including pepsin and acid contained in the stomach.

Many people suffer from acid reflux and as doctors study how to treat it and move towards better solutions, weight will get some additional scrutiny.

Acid Reflux Tied to Cancer, New Treatment

The website Ivanhoe is reporting that Coral Springs Medical Center is working with patients who have Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's is a pre-cancerous condition when the lining of the esophagus is changed. It is not in and of itself cancer but it is a precursor.

Approximately 60 million people in the US suffer from acid reflux. About 10% of those will develop Barrett's esophagus. If Barrett's is left untreated it can lead to cancer. The most common "treatment" was to wait and see if cancer developed and than remove the esophagus. The gastrology dept has found a new treatment that is much less invasive and more humane.

The procedure involves inserting a tube down the patient's throat. Once the tube is in place a balloon is inflated. Energy is travels down into the esophagus and the top layer (damaged) layer is burned away. New tissue is exposed and the esophagus is allowed the opportunity to grow healthy tissue.

Read about my experience with acid reflux.

Acid Reflux Drugs Coming Under Scrutiny

According to American Medical News the FDA is going to take a hard look at some of its regulatory actions or lack thereof regarding acid reflux drugs. Prilosec and Nexuim are first on the FDA's refocused radar.

This action is being driven by two long term studies that seem to link the drugs to increased risk of heart attacks. The manufacturers claim that the studies are biased. The FDA seems to agree to some extent that there were some built in biases in the studies but they are not willing to take any chances since they have been behind the curve on occasion.

H2 blockers have already produced study results that indicate a link to cognitive degeneration in elderly African Americans. The drug has been known in observational trials to have an negative effect on organs in the elderly as will a number of drugs used long term. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that the risk is double in elderly African Americans. The authors are encouraging that consideration be given to these factors when prescribing these meds.

Go to this page to read my personal experience with acid reflux.