Adenocarcinoma in Situ of Barrett's Esophagus Diagnosed by Endoscopic Cytology

PRIMARY adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is uncommon. Turnbull and Goodner found an incidence of 2.4 per cent in 1859 patients at our institution.1 Approximately 20 cases of adenocarcinoma arising in Barrett's epithelium have been reported.2 , 3 The diagnosis in these cases was made by biopsy done at esophagoscopy. The patient discussed below, in whom an adenocarcinoma arising in Barrett's esophagus was diagnosed at the in situ stage, illustrates the value of cytologic examination of material obtained at endoscopic examination. Case Report A 51-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a six-month history of dysphagia. An esophagram showed a midesophageal narrowing. . . .