*The Role of Proton Pump Inhibitors in the Treatment of Barrett's Esophagus DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.111394*

This explains the participation of HER2/neu (also called ERBB2) and overexpressed (lineage-dependent) cancer cells during the process of carcinogenesis, and the efficacy of targeted therapy against the Her-2 receptor with Trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the treatment of adenocarcinomas in the gastroesophageal junction.

It cannot be determined which of the patients with reflux will develop BE later. While chronic heartburn affects the development of BE, researchers have not observed a strong association between the severity of reflux and the development of BE. But there was also the phenomenon that people with BE have no symptoms of heartburn at all.

Patients with bulimia, an eating disorder, are more likely to develop BE because bulimia can cause severe acid reflux and because it damages the epithelial cells in the esophagus to a large extent, disrupting the so-called "tight junction." between the mucous cells [8, 9].

The very act of bile acids entering the esophagus can be an important factor in carcinogenesis [10]. Chronic patients with GERD and BE are exposed to high concentrations of deoxycholic acid, which has cytotoxic effects and can cause DNA damage (**Figure 1**) [12, 13].
