title: Molecular biologic assessment of Barrett's esophagus.
abstract: BE is a prevalent condition often associated with long-standing and severe GERD. BE harbors the cellular and genetic substrates necessary for subsequent development of cancer in a subset of patients. Epidemiologically, BE patients with high-grade dysplasia exhibits the highest risk for cancer. Until recently, little was understood about which BE patients with no or low-grade dysplasia may also be at risk for progression to neoplasia. The presence of p53 abnormalities in Barrett's mucosae (such as 17p LOH) and also DNA abnormalities (such as aneuploidy and increased tetraploid fractions) detectable on flow cytometry may be useful in identifying those patients with BE who are at the highest risk for cancer development. New diagnostic modalities and therapeutic strategies continue to evolve, and will require careful clinical validation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Greene Street, Room N4E35, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. kkwong@smail.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: King F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Kwong
mesh_terms: D000782:Aneuploidy; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D009154:Mutation; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53