If you are one of those who suffer from recurring heartburns or acid reflux, you can’t afford to neglect! Do you know its recurrence can turn into cancer?
And, if you are particularly a patient of ‘Barrett’s esophagus’ — the complicated acid reflux eventually alters cells in the esophagus containing shortened telomeres (the ending sequences in DNA strands), leading to the formation of cancer-tumor.
These shortened sequences may be the main culprit that allows other cancer-prone cells to dominate.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Rhonda Souza, associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern said,
The research supports why it is important to prevent reflux, because the more reflux you have and the longer you have it, the more it might predispose you to getting Barrett’s esophagus. So you want to suppress that reflux.
The link between the heartburns and cancer may appear confusing to you. Dr. Stuart Spechler, professor of internal medicine and senior author of the paper explains how it occurs —
Heartburn occurs when acid splashes back up from the stomach into the esophagus, the long feeding tube that connects the stomach and throat, causing a burning sensation.
Over time, the persistent acid bath can cause normal skin-like cells in the esophagus to change into tougher, more acid-resistant cells of the type found in the stomach and intestine, a condition called Barrett’s esophagus.
Unfortunately, those acid-resistant cells are also more prone to cancer.
This new finding may help researchers with yet another way to prevent the bone-marrow cells from taking over.
It will also definitely help an earlier diagnosis for Barrett’s esophagus, and this is a vital perspective as it usually manifests no symptoms.
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