Clinical issues in oesophageal adenocarcinoma: could DNA copy number hold the key?

Abstract

While not being considered a common cancer, since 1975 oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) has had the fastest-rising incidence of any malignancy in Caucasian Western populations. In the absence of major improvements in treatment since this rise began, the number of deaths has also increased rapidly. In contrast, there have been significant advances in basic science in this period. One such advance is the discovery of DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs), and their potential role in carcinogenesis. The study of CNAs offers the potential to answer fundamental clinical questions in OAC, which in turn may lead to improved diagnosis, staging and treatment. This review outlines current clinical dilemmas in OAC, discusses the role that CNAs have been shown to play to date and highlights potential future applications.

Oesophageal adenocarcinoma: the men's health problem you do not want to have!

“…Identification of novel biomarkers that predict the likely response to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or surgery, as well as identify individuals in whom treatment‐related toxicity is likely to be excessive, would open the possibility of a more individualized approach to the application of current treatments, so that chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy can be used only in individuals who are likely to benefit, and not in those likely to be harmed. Research that aims to identify these markers is underway …”