Submucosal glands in the columnar-lined oesophagus: evidence of an association with metaplasia and neosquamous epithelium.

AIM: A multipotential stem cell, possibly located in the submucosal gland ducts, has been suggested as the origin of metaplastic mucosa in the oesophagus. The topographic distribution of these glands and their excretory ducts (SMG) within the columnar lined oesophagus (CLO) is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of SMG in relation to the type of overlying epithelium in patients with CLO.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven oesophageal resection specimens were examined histologically in toto. The median frequency of SMG was similar in the metaplastic segments (0.12 SMG/mm) and the normal squamous segments (0.10 SMG/mm). Within the metaplastic segments, the median frequency of SMG beneath the squamous islands was significantly higher than that observed under the columnar lined parts (0.22 versus 0.08 SMG/mm, P = 0.046), There was a strong accumulation of SMG at the squamo-columnar transition zones (0.53 SMG/mm), which was significantly greater than that found in the columnar and squamous parts (P = 0.001 and 0.002, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: The relative accumulation of SMG beneath squamous islands and the squamo-columnar junctions within the metaplastic segment supports the hypothesis that both metaplastic columnar mucosa and neosquamous epithelium originate from a progenitor in the SMG.