Barrett’s oesophagus: Current controversies

Table 2 The Wilson-Jungner criteria for appraising the validity of a screening programme

The Wilson-Jungner Screening Criteria	Achieved for Barrett’s oesophagus?
The condition being screened for should be an important health problem	+
The natural history of the condition should be well understood	+/-
There should be a detectable early stage	+
Treatment at an early stage should be of more benefit than at a later stage	+
A suitable test should be devised for the early stage	+
The test should be acceptable	+
Intervals for repeating the test should be determined	+/-
Adequate health service provision should be made for the extra clinical workload resulting from screening	+
The risks, both physical and psychological, should be less than the benefits	+
The costs should be balanced against the benefits	-