I can't add much to Barb's comments, she is absolutely right. I too have GERD, take a proton pump inhibitor daily, (not just the 14 day course) and have an ANNUAL endoscope procedure, because I too have GERD which is not controlled. As she stated screening less frequently would be in order for those who have it under some sort of control. I have had Barrett's found and later a very small adeonocarcinoma, (the type most likely to result from all this, SCC's are less liely to be Barrett's related though we are at risk for them) which was surgically removed not long ago.

Esophageal cancers are the cancer that is occurring at the highest rate in the US today. If the GERD cannot be completely controlled with PPI's like Nexium or the OTC version, the next step is to do a surgical procedure (mine is on June 2), to have the sphincter which controls the opening at the top of the stomach (where it connects to the esophagus) reinforced by a collar of the actual stomach pulled up around it and tightened with a few stitches to make this less likely to let the acids from your stomach enter the esophagus. One of the issues in all this is that if you have had radiation that includes some exposure to the upper chest (as I did leaving the upper 25% of my lungs fibrotic and non functional) it also screws up the motility of your esophagus or the peristalsis waves that move the food down through it. It can also cause strictures which I do not have. No motility means that if you have the sphincter area tightened, it is possible that you will not be able to, after swallowing food, actually get it easily into the stomach. What fun.

Barb is correct in stating that second primaries are most likely in the aero digestive tract BESCAUSE we have had a previous cancer - and the GERD/ Barrett