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Researchers
said that patients who undergo surgery to treat gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD) may not lower their risk of esophageal
cancer risk or eliminate the need for antacids years later.
The study,
reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
found that 62 percent of those who underwent surgery to treat
GERD still needed to take medications to manage their condition
a decade later.
"People
terrified of taking medications ought to understand surgery
only gives them a 1-in-3 chance" of avoiding antacids
afterward, said lead researcher Stuart Jon Spechler of the
Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dallas.
Spechler's
study involved 160 GERD patients, randomly treated with either
surgery or medication.
While
some earlier research suggested that surgery might lower the
risk of esophageal cancer for patients with GERD, the study
found equal rates between the groups.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of July 1, 2001
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