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Barrett oesophagus

Tracing the genetic pathway to oesophageal cancer

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 12, page 487 (2015)Cite this article

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A Correction to this article was published on 08 September 2015

This article has been updated

Two new studies published in Nature Genetics have evaluated the genetic changes involved in the progression from Barrett oesophagus to oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Both studies have used hypothesis-free driven techniques (whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing) in order to capture the transition towards cancer more systematically.

“From a clinical perspective, oesophageal adenocarcinoma is a cancer with increasing incidence in the Western world and poor outcomes due to late diagnosis. The precursor lesion Barrett oesophagus provides the opportunity for early detection of cancer,” explains Rebecca Fitzgerald, corresponding author of the first study. However, there are limitations. “We do a very poor job at identifying patients with cancer early, when it is treatable and identifying which patients with Barrett oesophagus are at elevated risk of progressing to cancer,” says first author of the second study, Matthew Stachler.

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Change history

  • 08 September 2015

    In the version of this article originally published online and in print, the credit line for the image was spelt incorrectly. The correct spelling is PhotoDisc/Getty Images. This error has been corrected for the PDF and HTML versions of the article.

References

  1. Ross-Innes, C. S. et al. Whole-genome sequencing provides new insights into the clonal architecture of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Nat. Genet. 10.1038/ng.3357

  2. Stachler, M. D. et al. Paired exome analysis of Barrett's esophagus and adenocarcinoma. Nat. Genet. 10.1038/ng.3343

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Authors
  1. Gillian Patman
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Patman, G. Tracing the genetic pathway to oesophageal cancer. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 12, 487 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.138

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.138

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