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In a small proportion of people with Barrett’s oesophagus they develop further changes in the cells that line the oesophagus called dysplasia.
Dysplasia comes from the Greek meaning “bad formation”, and signifies that the cells in the Barrett’s lining are becoming more abnormal.
With low grade dysplasia the cells are mildly abnormal and with high grade dysplasia this abnormality is more pronounced.
With increasing degrees of dysplasia comes an increased risk of developing cancer, and once high grade dysplasia develops the risk of developing cancer is approximately 10% per year.