The short answer
Barrett esophagus is a condition in which the cells lining the lower esophagus have changed. Dysplasia means abnormal cells are present. NCI says dysplasia is not cancer but may sometimes become cancer. NCI also says Barrett esophagus with abnormal cells may be treated with radiofrequency ablation. This page explains the terms and what to ask your care team.
NCI says in Barrett esophagus, cells lining the lower esophagus have changed or been replaced with abnormal cells that could lead to cancer.
NCI says dysplasia is not cancer, but it may sometimes become cancer.
NCI says dysplasia can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how abnormal the cells look.
NCI says people with Barrett esophagus who have abnormal cells may be treated with radiofrequency ablation.
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This page is for anyone whose endoscopy biopsy report says "Barrett esophagus with dysplasia." It explains the terms and what to ask your care team.
What Barrett esophagus means
NCI defines Barrett esophagus as "a condition in which the cells lining the lower part of the esophagus have changed or been replaced with abnormal cells that could lead to cancer of the esophagus." NCI says reflux, when stomach contents back up, "may irritate the esophagus and, over time, cause Barrett esophagus."
What dysplasia adds
NCI defines dysplasia as "the presence of abnormal cells within a tissue or organ." NCI says: "Dysplasia is not cancer, but it may sometimes become cancer." It can be mild, moderate, or severe. That depends on how odd the cells look and how much tissue is affected.
Your report may say low grade or high grade. Ask your care team what your grade means for you.
Why your team may suggest treatment
NCI's esophageal cancer prevention summary says the abnormal cells in Barrett esophagus "may later become adenocarcinoma of the esophagus." NCI says people with these abnormal cells "may be treated with radiofrequency ablation." This procedure "uses radio waves to heat and destroy abnormal cells."
Whether this or another plan is right for you is a question for your care team.
Ask these before you leave
- How is my dysplasia graded?
- Do you recommend treatment, or regular checks?
- How often should I have an endoscopy?
Related pages
See What Does 'Dysplasia' Mean? and What Does Metaplasia Mean?.
Sources
Common questions
Is Barrett esophagus with dysplasia cancer?
No. NCI says dysplasia is not cancer, but it may sometimes become cancer. That is why follow-up matters.
What causes Barrett esophagus?
NCI says stomach contents backing up into the esophagus (reflux) may irritate it and, over time, cause Barrett esophagus.
How is it treated?
NCI says patients with Barrett esophagus who have abnormal cells may be treated with radiofrequency ablation, which uses radio waves to heat and destroy abnormal cells. Ask your care team what fits you.
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Sources last checked: 2026-10-02 what this meansLast updated: 2026-09-27Next planned review: 2027-09-27
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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