Intestinal metaplasia is the probable common precursor of adenocarcinoma in barrett esophagus and adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia

Intestinal metaplasia in the tubular esophagus is the recognized precancerous lesion of adenocarcinoma in Barrett esophagus. However, it is not yet clear whether adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia arises from the same premalignant lesion, i.e., intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia. The purpose of this study was to compare adenocarcinomas in Barrett esophagus and adenocarcinomas of the gastric cardia at an early stage, when it was more likely that intestinal metaplasia had not been completely overgrown by the tumor.