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Oo et al. Mini-invasive Surg 2019;3:13 Mini-invasive Surgery
DOI: 10.20517/2574-1225.2019.02

Commentary Open Access

Overview of gastroesophageal junction cancers

Aung Myint Oo, Saleem Ahmed

Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433, Singapore.

Correspondence to: Dr. Saleem Ahmed, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433,
Singapore. E-mail: medicsaleem@gmail.com; Dr. Aung Myint Oo, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital,
Singapore 308433, Singapore. E-mail: myint_oo_aung@ttsh.com.sg

How to cite this article: Oo AM, Ahmed S. Overview of gastroesophageal junction cancers. Mini-invasive Surg 2019;3:13.
http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1225.2019.02

Received: 14 Jan 2019 First Decision: 25 Mar 2019 Revised: 10 Apr 2019 Accepted: 17 Apr 2019 Published: 6 May 2019
Science Editor: Tetsu Fukunaga Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Huan-Liang Wu

Abstract
Oesophageal and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) malignancy is the fastest growing cancer in the Western population.
This together with the deadly nature of the disease has attracted increased attention from doctors and researchers alike.
The increasing incidence has been primarily attributed to the increase in rates of obesity that in turn causes increased
gastroesophageal reflux disease leading to Barrett’s oesophagus and eventually adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus
especially at the GEJ. We discuss the epidemiology, risk factors and the management of GEJ tumours.

Keywords: Cardioesophageal, gastroesophageal, upper gastrointestinal, cancer, tumour

INTRODUCTION
Oesophageal and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) malignancy is the fastest growing cancer in the Western
population, especially in United States of America (USA), rising by 6-fold annually on the background of
[1,2]
declining rates of most other cancers . This together with the deadly nature of the disease has attracted
increased attention from doctors and researchers alike. The increasing incidence has been primarily
attributed to the increase in rates of obesity that in turn causes increased gastroesophageal reflux disease
(GERD) leading to Barrett’s oesophagus and eventually adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus especially at
[3]
the GEJ .

DEFINITION
The definition of GEJ cancers has been an area of controversy and disagreement and have in the past
been considered either a gastric or oesophageal cancer as they lie in between the two. GEJ tumours also

© The Author(s) 2019. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
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and indicate if changes were made.

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