In healthy volunteers, immunohistochemistry supports squamous to columnar metaplasia as mechanism of expansion of cardia, aggravated by central obesity

Abstract

These findings are consistent with expansion of cardia in healthy volunteers occurring by squamo columnar metaplasia of distal oesophagus and aggravated by central obesity. This metaplastic origin of expanded cardia may be relevant to the substantial proportion of cardia adenocarcinomas unattributable to H. pylori or transsphincteric acid reflux.