The esophagus and stomach, joined by a unique transitional zone, contain actively dividing epithelial stem cells required for organ homeostasis. Upon prolonged inflammation, epithelial cells in both organs can undergo a cell fate switch leading to intestinal metaplasia, predisposing to malignancy. Here we discuss the biology of gastroesophageal stem cells and their role as cells of origin in cancer. We summarize the interactions between the stromal niche and gastroesophageal stem cells in metaplasia and early expansion of mutated stem-cell-derived clones during carcinogenesis. Finally, we review new approaches under development to better study gastroesophageal stem cells and advance the field.

食道和胃由一个独特的过渡区连接，包含器官稳态所需的活跃分裂的上皮干细胞。在长期炎症后，两个器官中的上皮细胞都会发生细胞命运转换，导致肠化生，从而诱发恶性肿瘤。在这里，我们讨论胃食管干细胞的生物学及其作为癌症起源细胞的作用。我们总结了间质生态位和胃食管干细胞在化生和癌变过程中突变干细胞衍生克隆的早期扩增中的相互作用。最后，我们回顾了正在开发的新方法，以更好地研究胃食管干细胞并推动该领域的发展。