The more conservative treatment options demand better distinction between HGD, IMC, and SMC on mucosal biopsies. This large surgical series further provides evidence that it is important to separate IMC from SMC, as it may influence the choice of therapeutic intervention. Given the clear prognostic difference between HGD, IMC, and SMC, pathologists are often expected to reliably make this distinction

on small biopsy material. The approximately 40% adenocarcinoma rate in patients with Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical a pre-operative diagnosis of HGD highlights the fact that it is not always possible for pathologists to make this distinction. The two main problems are: 1) sampling error – e.g., do more biopsies help pathologists distinguish HGD from IMC from SMC? and 2) interobserver variability – e.g., can pathologists reliably distinguish the higher end of Barrett’s neoplasia spectrum? In an attempt to assess histologic features on preoperative biopsies Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical that would be associated with a higher risk of concurrent adenocarcinoma on resection, two recent studies performed at the University of Michigan (UM) (17) and Cleveland Clinic (CCF) (18) Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical identified categories of HGD suspicious for adenocarcinoma (UM) and HGD

with marked glandular architectural distortion (CCF). Compared to HGD alone, both categories were significantly associated with IMC or SMC. Nevertheless, pathologists are relatively poor

at separating HGD from IMC and even SMC (18). In addition, pathologists rarely find diagnostic evidence of SMC in biopsy material. In Idarubicin another Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical study performed at the Cleveland Clinic, the overall rate of SMC on Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical esophageal resections from patients diagnosed with Barrett’s-related HGD or worse was 21.4% (24/112). Of these cases, only 3 cases (2.7%) had unequivocal evidence of submucosal invasion on biopsy (19). Pathologists also struggle with the distinction between SMC and IMC because of the well-recognized split muscularis mucosae (20),(21). On superficial biopsies, or even endoscopic because mucosal resection (EMR) specimens, it is often difficult to decide whether neoplasm below one layer of muscularis mucosae is within the submucosa or “pseudo-submucosa.” While all the available modalities of risk assessment including endoscopy, imaging, and histology do allow us to guide clinical intervention, none are perfect. Although EMR and ablation therapy are emerging as popular choices for management of Barrett’s-related HGD and IMC, recurrence of neoplasia at the rate of 11%-21% has been reported in these patients (22),(23). The advantages of these approaches, specifically EMR, are larger tissue samples that not only allow better evaluation of histologic landmarks, but also improve diagnostic accuracy and staging (24).