Australian clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of <scp>B</scp>arrett's esophagus and early esophageal adenocarcinoma

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">B</jats:styled-content>arrett's esophagus (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content>), a common condition, is the only known precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EAC</jats:styled-content>). There is uncertainty about the best way to manage <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content> as most people with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content> never develop <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EAC</jats:styled-content> and most patients diagnosed with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EAC</jats:styled-content> have no preceding diagnosis of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content>. Moreover, there have been recent advances in knowledge and practice about the management of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content> and early <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EAC</jats:styled-content>. To aid clinical decision making in this rapidly moving field, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>ancer <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>ouncil <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>ustralia convened an expert working party to identify pertinent clinical questions. The questions covered a wide range of topics including endoscopic and histological definitions of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content> and early <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EAC</jats:styled-content>; prevalence, incidence, natural history, and risk factors for <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content>; and methods for managing <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BE</jats:styled-content> and early <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EAC</jats:styled-content>. The latter considered modification of lifestyle factors; screening and surveillance strategies; and medical, endoscopic, and surgical interventions. To answer each question, the working party systematically reviewed the literature and developed a set of recommendations through consensus. Evidence underpinning each recommendation was rated according to quality and applicability.</jats:p>