The esophageal mucosa and submucosa: immunohistology in GERD and Barrett's esophagus.

This paper presents commentaries on the microscopic morphology of esophageal squamous epithelium; the frequency of duplication of the muscularis mucosae (MM) in Barrett's esophagus (BE); the significance of multilayered epithelium; whether cells in the lamina propria reflect those in the epithelium; how stem cells are identified in the squamous esophagus; dilated intercellular spaces; the metastasizing potential of early carcinoma-dependent, molecular or immunohistochemical tests that improve diagnosis; the role of immunohistochemistry IHC in grading of neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus and defining the risk of progression to adenocarcinoma; the roles of CDX1 and CDX2 in squamous and cardiac mucosa; and the role of desmosomal cadherins and lectins in squamous and cardiac mucosa.