The changing landscape of esophageal disease
Preface

The changing landscape of esophageal disease

Esophageal disease, both benign and malignant, is becoming more prevalent over time. There are several risk factors, such as diet and obesity, which are contributing to the increased prevalence. I chose to host this issue to make readers aware of the multiple facets of esophageal disease. There are multiple pertinent questions I wanted to address with this issue.

What are some of the factors which cause disease?

How can we diagnose disease earlier?

Are there lifestyles which can make disease less prevalent?

When major surgical interventions are needed, which centers are best equipped to perform these surgeries?

What is the role of endoscopic techniques to manage disease processes traditionally treated with surgery?

What is the role of the intraluminal environment, specifically the microfloral composition, in the development and progression of disease?

The articles in this issue will address details concerning these topics. I hope that this issue will be informative and shed some light on esophageal disease for readers. Thank you.


Acknowledgments

None.


Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The author is accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Ikenna Okereke

Ikenna Okereke, MD

Chief, Thoracic Surgery, Granville T. Hall Chair in General Surgery, Program Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship Program, Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
(Email: ikokerek@utmb.edu)

doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.08.47

Cite this article as: Okereke I. The changing landscape of esophageal disease. J Thorac Dis 2019;11(Suppl 12):S1579-S1580. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.08.47

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