0000000000628274

AUTHOR

Elfriede Bollschweiler

The Barrett‐associated variants at GDF 7 and TBX 5 also increase esophageal adenocarcinoma risk

Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) represent two stages within the esophagitis-metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence. Previously genetic risk factors have been identified that confer risk to BE and EAC development. However, to which extent the genetic variants confer risk to different stages of the BE/EAC sequence remains mainly unknown. In this study we analyzed three most recently identified BE variants at the genes GDF7 (rs3072), TBX5 (rs2701108), and ALDH1A2 (rs3784262) separately in BE and EAC samples in order to determine their risk effects during BE/EAC sequence. Our data show that rs3072 at GDF7 and rs2701108 at TBX5 are also associated with EAC and …

research product

pT2 Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus: Early or Advanced Cancer?

Background There is an increasing trend to include patients with esophageal carcinoma invading the muscularis propria (pT2) in neoadjuvant therapy regimens. But it is unclear which patients have prognostic benefit from this strategy. The aim of this study was to assess the prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with pT2 esophageal adenocarcinoma to further optimize treatment strategies. Methods Included were patients with pT2 esophageal adenocarcinoma treated operatively at three centers specializing in upper gastrointestinal surgery. There were 159 patients (139 male) without induction therapy; median age was 64.5 years. Survival was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. …

research product

Supportive evidence for FOXP 1 , BARX 1 , and FOXF 1 as genetic risk loci for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma

The Barrett's and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Consortium (BEACON) recently performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Barrett's esophagus. They identified genome-wide significant association for variants at three genes, namely CRTC1, FOXP1, and BARX1. Furthermore, they replicated an association at the FOXF1 gene that has been previously found in a GWAS on Barrett's esophagus. We aimed at further replicating the association at these and other loci that showed suggestive association with P < 10(-4) in the BEACON sample. In total, we tested 88 SNPs in an independent sample consisting of 1065 EAC cases and 1019 controls of German descent. We could repl…

research product

Extranodal extension of lymph node metastasis is a marker of poor prognosis in oesophageal cancer: A systematic review with meta-analysis

The extranodal extension (ENE) of nodal metastasis is the extension of neoplastic cells through the nodal capsule into the perinodal adipose tissue. This histological feature has recently been indicated as an important prognostic factor in different types of malignancies; in this manuscript, we aim at defining its role in the prognosis of oesophageal cancer with the tool of meta-analysis. Two independent authors searched SCOPUS and PubMed until 31 August 2015 without language restrictions. The studies with available data about prognostic parameters in subjects with oesophageal cancer, comparing patients with the presence of ENE (ENE+) versus only intranodal extension (ENE-), were considered…

research product