Freezing damaged cells to prevent cancer.

• Position: Esophagus - Brief article

Gastroenterologists are freezing damaged cells in the esophagus, preventing them from turning cancerous, reports the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. This cryoablation therapy helps Barrett's esophagus patients with dysplasia, a condition in which normal cells are transformed into potentially cancerous ones.

"Due to damage from chronic stomach acid, there are people who have a higher risk of developing esophagus cancer," notes Jayaprakash Sreenar-asimhaiah, assistant professor of internal medicine. "The goal of this therapy is to literally freeze the damage in its tracks and stop it before it turns to cancer."

Gastroenterologists, using a special catheter, spray liquid nitrogen on the damaged tissue to freeze the superficial lining of the esophagus, the long tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. The treated tissue eventually falls off, allowing normal cells to grow and replace the damaged ones in about six to eight weeks.

Barrett's esophagus can...