OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the pathological features and immunostaining pattern (cytokeratin 7 (CK-7), mucin core peptide 1 (Muc-1)) in Barrett's esophagus (BE) and cardiac intestinal metaplasia (CIM). METHODS: According to endoscopic diagnosis, patients with gastric cardiac inflammation and BE were selected from March 2008 to February 2009 in Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Those patients who had histological findings of intestinal metaplasia (82 cases of CIM and 64 special type BE) were enrolled in our study. Hematoxylin-eosin, periodic acid-Schiff and Alcian blue staining and an immunohistochemical examination (CK-7, Muc-1) were undertaken in all of them. RESULTS: Squamous mucosa overlying the columnar crypts with intestinal metaplasia, also called buried metaplasia, was often found in the BE group (56.2%), mainly as an incomplete type (85.9%). Inflammation in the gastric antrum was more severe in the CIM group (45.1% vs 26.6%), in contrast, esophagitis was more severe in the BE group (53.1% vs 35.4%). CK-7 was highly expressed in the BE group (84.4%) in contrast to the CIM group (37.8%). There was no difference in the expression of Muc-1 in these two kinds of intestinal metaplasia (14.1% vs 19.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Buried intestinal metaplasia, mainly as an incomplete type, is the major predominant type of BE. The degree of inflammation in the gastric antrum and esophagus can differentiate BE from CIM to some extent. CK-7 immunohistochemical staining can help identify BE and CIM but Muc-1 cannot.
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