“Cancer Research UK scientists have found that ‘jumping genes’ may add to the genetic chaos behind more than three-quarters of esophageal cancer cases, according to research published in BMC Genomics.
The scientists, from the University of Cambridge, used cutting-edge technology that can read DNA to study the genes of 43 esophageal tumour and blood samples to discover how much these mobile genetic sequences travel.
‘Jumping genes’, called L1 elements, can uproot themselves and move to new areas in the DNA, sometimes accidentally moving into genes that control the cell’s growth.
They found evidence that this happened around 100 times in each tumour sample, and in some tumours it happened 700 times.
If a jumping gene lands in or near an important gene that controls cell growth, it can wreak havoc, changing how the gene works so that it inadvertently tells the cell to grow and divide out of control – which could lead to cancer.
Study author Dr Paul Edwards, at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, said: “These jumping genes play hopscotch across our genetic code in cancer cells more than in normal cells. When one of these mobile genetic sequences plants itself in the middle of a gene that controls the cell’s growth it radically alters how the cell behaves, which can sometimes cause cancer.
“Research has shown that this might also happen in lung and bowel cancers. So it’s vital we find out more about how the cells do this in a bid to find ways to treat these cancers.”
The research is part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) – a global project using the latest gene sequencing technology to reveal the genetic changes behind cancer. The esophageal cancer project is funded by Cancer Research UK.
Dr Kat Arney, Cancer Research UK’s science information manager, said: “Esophageal cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat, and we are committed to funding more research to find out its underlying causes. These new findings reveal more about the genetic chaos that underpins esophageal tumours, and could one day help us develop better ways to diagnose, treat and monitor the disease.”
References: Paterson et al. Mobile element insertions are frequent in oesophageal adenocarcinomas and can mislead paired end sequencing analysis. BMC Genomics. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1685-z.
This post is based on materialsprovided by Cancer Research UK.
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
“The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has issued new Guidelines that cite Stretta as a viable treatment option for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
According to the Guidelines, Stretta was seen as safe, effective and durable, specifically stating: “Adverse events were infrequent and typically minor. The technique appears to durably relieve GERD symptoms for up to 10 years in the majority of patients.” The document was prepared by the ASGE Standards of Practice Committee, approved by the ASGE Governing Board, and published in the June issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Stretta is a minimally-invasive endoscopic treatment that delivers non-ablative radiofrequency (RF) energy to improve and restore the function of the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, thereby improving symptoms of GERD.
“The recent ASGE guideline regarding the role of endoscopy in treating GERD highlights the safety, efficacy, and durability of Stretta,” said Robert D. Fanelli, MD, MHA, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Endoscopy for The Guthrie Clinic and a member of both the ASGE Standards of Practice Committee and the SAGES Guidelines Committee. “This guideline, in concert with the previously published SAGES Clinical Spotlight Review on endoluminal reflux therapy, demonstrates support for Stretta as a treatment option for appropriately selected patients with GERD, based on rigorous reviews of the literature.”
The ASGE guidelines also state, “This technique uses RF energy delivery to the distal esophagus and appears to reduce GERD by decreasing tissue compliance and reducing transient lower esophageal relaxations.” In summary, the guideline suggests that endoscopic antireflux therapy may be considered for select GERD patients.
GERD is the most frequent outpatient GI diagnosis in the U.S. Although most patients are treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), approximately 30 percent have incomplete control of symptoms on PPIs.
GERD is also a risk factor for esophageal cancer which is considered one of the fastest and deadliest cancers in the United States and western world.
Will Rutan, CEO of Mederi Therapeutics, the maker of Stretta said, “With recent studies highlighting potential issues with long-term PPI use, the timing is right for Stretta. Doctors who offer Stretta are positioned to make a difference in the quality of life of their patient by broadening treatment options for those in their care.”
Stretta Therapy is non-surgical treatment option for GERD patients who do not respond well to medications and wish to avoid surgery. Stretta has been the subject of more than 37 studies, all showing a high level of safety and efficacy.
Stretta can be an ideal option for patients whose symptoms are inadequately controlled by drug therapy or choose to avoid surgery. Unlike surgery, Stretta doesn’t alter the anatomy, so it provides a versatile treatment option that doesn’t complicate any future surgery, and can also be utilized in patients who already have had previous anti-reflux or bariatric procedures, and experience recurring GERD.”
This post is based on materialsprovided by Stretta Therapy.
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Rice University device nearly doubled sensitivity of esophageal cancer screenings
In a clinical study of patients in the United States and China, researchers found that a low-cost, portable, battery-powered microendoscope developed by Rice University bioengineers could eventually eliminate the need for costly biopsies for many patients undergoing standard endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer.
The research is available online in the journal Gastroenterology and was co-authored by researchers from nearly a dozen institutions that include Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Cancer Institute.
The clinical study, which involved 147 U.S. and Chinese patients undergoing examination for potentially malignant squamous cell tumors, explored whether Rice’s low-cost, high-resolution fiber-optic imaging system could reduce the need for unnecessary biopsies when used in combination with a conventional endoscope — the worldwide standard of care for esophageal cancer diagnoses.
The study involved patients from two U.S. and two Chinese hospitals: Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing and First University Hospital in Jilin, China.
In the study, all 147 patients with suspect lesions were examined with both a traditional endoscope and Rice’s microendoscope. Biopsies were obtained based upon the results of the traditional endoscopic exam.
A pathology exam revealed that more than half of those receiving biopsies — 58 percent — did not have high-grade precancer or cancer. The researchers found that the microendoscopic exam could have spared unnecessary biopsies for about 90 percent of the patients with benign lesions.
In these images from Rice’s high-resolution microendoscope, the white spots are cell nuclei, which are irregularly shaped and enlarged in cancerous tumors (right) as compared with healthy tissue (left). Credit: Richards-Kortum Lab/Rice University
“For patients, biopsies are stressful and sometimes painful,” said lead researcher Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice’s Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technologies. “In addition, in low-resource settings, pathology costs frequently exceed endoscopy costs. So the microendoscope could both improve patient outcomes and provide a significant cost-saving advantage if used in conjunction with a traditional endoscope.”
When examined under a microscope, cancerous and precancerous cells typically appear different from healthy cells. The study of cellular structures is known as histology, and a histological analysis is typically required for an accurate diagnosis of both the type and stage of a cancerous tumor.
To determine whether a biopsy is needed for a histological exam, health professionals often use endoscopes, small cameras mounted on flexible tubes that can be inserted into the body to visually examine an organ or tissue without surgery. Rice’s high-resolution microendoscope uses a 1-millimeter-wide fiber-optic cable that is attached to the standard endoscope. The cable transmits images to a high-powered fluorescence microscope, and the endoscopist uses a tablet computer to view the microscope’s output. The microendoscope provides images with similar resolution to traditional histology and allows endoscopists to see individual cells and cell nuclei in lesions suspected of being cancerous.
By providing real-time histological data to endoscopists, Rice’s microendoscope can help rule out malignancy in cases that would otherwise require a biopsy.
“While traditional endoscopy can rule out malignancy and eliminate the need for biopsies for some patients, in a significant number of cases the difference between malignant and benign lesions only becomes apparent through a histological analysis,” said study co-author Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine and director of Baylor Global Initiatives and the Baylor Global Innovation Center.
Richards-Kortum’s lab specializes in the development of low-cost optical imaging and spectroscopy tools to detect cancer and infectious disease at the point of care. Her research group is particularly interested in developing technology for low-resource settings, and the microendoscope was developed as part of that effort. It is battery-operated, inexpensive to operate and requires very little training. Results from the clinical study verified that both experienced and novice endoscopists could use the microendoscope to make accurate assessments of the need for a biopsy.
Clinical studies of Rice’s microendoscope are either planned or underway for a dozen types of cancer including cervical, bladder, oral and colon cancers.
“More than half of cancer deaths today occur in the developing world, often in low-resource areas,” Anandasabapathy said. “The World Health Organization and other important international bodies have called for increased global focus on noncommunicable diseases like cancer, and Rice’s microendoscope is a great example of what the right kind of technology can do to change health care in low-resource countries.”
The research was supported by the National Cancer Institute. This post is based on materials provided by a Rice University press release, which can be accessed here: news.rice.edu
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation would like to congratulate our Vice President for receiving a Rising Star Award from NonProfit PRO’s 2015 Nonprofit Professionals of the Year.
This achievement was featured in NonProfit PRO’s May 2015 issue which featured the 2015 Nonprofit Professionals of the Year Awards. Below is an excerpt from the magazine.
“Due to our Vice President’s social media and Internet optimization efforts, we have been able to connect with people across the United States, Canada, Australia, Philippines, India, Egypt and the United Kingdom. As a newer nonprofit with very limited funds, she has utilized low to no-cost marketing avenues to bring our message to the masses. Through social media, Google Ad Grants, our website, email newsletters, blogs, print, mailings and so much more, we have been fortunate enough to not only survive these hard times in our first years, but thrive with the promise of better times.”
– President, The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation
Today, May 29, 2015, is World Digestive Health Day (#WDHD2015)
As advocates for improving esophageal health and preventing esophageal cancer, The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation understands the importance of awareness and education of the important role that the esophagus plays in the digestive system.
Esophageal cancer is considered the fastest growing cancer in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute and is also considered one of the deadliest cancers. Esophageal cancer research is extremely underfunded and there are no routine or standard tests to diagnose esophageal cancer in earlier stages to improve early detection and survival rates.
The esophagus is the first channel in the digestive tube and plays a simple yet significant part in the human digestive system. The esophagus is a muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach. This takes place when we swallow and food or liquids are pushed from the mouth, down and into the esophagus and empty into the stomach. The lower esophageal sphincter is located at the base of the esophagus and is responsible for controlling the passage of food and liquid between the esophagus and stomach.
The LES is a ring-shaped muscle which relaxes to allow food and liquid into the stomach. Once the food and liquid pass through the relaxed sphincter, it closes back up, thus keeping the food and liquid in the stomach.
Problems arise when the LES weakens and does not close properly. When this happens, stomach contents escape the stomach and flow back up into the esophagus. This backflow of stomach content is called reflux. For those who experience reflux symptoms (heartburn included) more than twice a week may have Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
Sometimes Heartburn Isn’t Just An Inconvenience™
Heartburn is the most common symptom of acid reflux disease. Other GERD symptoms include, but are not limited to, burning sensation in chest, regurgitation, chest pain and difficulty swallowing.
Some symptoms of acid reflux disease could also be indicators of something more serious. For instance, RefluxMDstates on their website that “although mild difficulty swallowing is often a common symptom of GERD, more severe difficulty swallowing could be a symptom of [esophageal] cancer and should be promptly evaluated.
Many people rely on medications, both over-the-counter and from a prescription, to help control their acid reflux symptoms. Unfortunately, these medications only work to treat the symptoms of the disease, but do not stop the disease from progressing (getting worse) and do not stop damage from occurring to the esophagus.
Dr. Jamie Koufman, a physician in New York who specializes in voice disorders and acid reflux, explains in a New York Times article that a Danish study “concluded that there were no cancer-protective effects from using the common anti-reflux medications, called proton pump inhibitors and that regular long-term use was actually associated with an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.”
Over time, the back-flow of stomach contents and acids irritate the esophagus and can cause serious damage to the esophagus, including Barrett’s esophagus (a sometimes pre-esophageal cancer condition) and can increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer. Even if you are taking medications and not experiencing any symptoms, damage could still be occurring to the esophagus.
It is important to discuss any medical conditions or concerns with your doctor. While the information provided here is intended for educational purposes, always speak to your doctor about your health.
If you or someone you know has GERD, RefluxMD has put together an eBook that is a must-read! To download a FREE copy of “I Have GERD, Now What?”click here.
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation asks that you join us in raising awareness of the importance of esophageal health today and everyday!
The following are some additional links to articles from our website and others for further reading on this important topic:
Join The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation in raising awareness of the important role that the esophagus plays in the digestive system and spreading the word about esophageal cancer online.
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The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
New research by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that esophageal cancer patients treated with proton therapy experienced significantly less toxic side effects than patients treated with older radiation therapies.
Working with colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Dallas, Texas, Michael Chuong, MD, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the school, compared two kinds of X-ray radiation with proton therapy, an innovative, precise approach that targets tumors while minimizing harm to surrounding tissues.
The researchers looked at nearly 600 patients and found that proton therapy resulted in a significantly lower number of side effects, including nausea, blood abnormalities and loss of appetite. The results were presented on May 22 at the annual conference of the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group, held in San Diego.
“This evidence underscores the precision of proton therapy, and how it can really make a difference in cancer patients’ lives,” said Dr. Chuong.
Patients with esophageal cancer can suffer a range of side effects, including nausea, fatigue, lack of appetite, blood abnormalities and lung and heart problems. Proton therapy did not make a difference in all of these side effects, but had significant effects on several.
The results have particular relevance for the University of Maryland School of Medicine; this fall the school will open the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC). The center will provide one of the newest and highly precise forms of radiation therapy available, pencil beam scanning (PBS), which targets tumors while significantly decreasing radiation doses to healthy tissue. This technique can precisely direct radiation to the most difficult-to-reach tumors.
Proton therapy is just one of several new methods for treating cancer. Others include:
Selective Internal Radiation Therapy, a precision modality for treating patients with particularly difficult-to-remove tumors involving the liver such as those from colorectal cancers;
Gammapod, a new, high-precision, noninvasive method of treating early-stage breast cancer;
Thermal Therapies, the use of “heat” in treating a broad spectrum of malignancies.
The treatment works well for many kinds of tumors, including those found in the brain, esophagus, lung, head and neck, prostate, liver, spinal cord and gastrointestinal system. It is also an important option for children with cancer and is expected to become an important option for some types of breast cancer. While most cancer patients are well served with today’s state-of-the-art radiation therapy technology, up to 30 percent are expected to have a greater benefit from the new form of targeted proton beam therapy.
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Portsmouth High School Senior Lanse Mitchell hosted a dodgeball tournament yesterday to help generate awareness of esophageal cancer, while raising money for The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation.
Lanse decided to host the dodgeball tournament to fulfill his Senior project requirement and wanted to make a difference by helping a local charity. President of The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation was honored to have worked with Lanse on this project and both she and Vice President were invited to speak to the students about The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation’s mission to raise awareness, encourage early detection and to fund research of esophageal cancer.
After months of preparation and planning, Lanse and a large group of students from Portsmouth High School played several rounds of dodgeball on what marked the mid-point of April, which is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month. Please join us in thanking Lanse for a job well done!
If you would like to host a fundraiser to benefit The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation, please click here to learn more!
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
By Liz Janetschek | The ASCO Post. March 25, 2015, Volume 6, Issue 5
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting observational, interventional, phase I, phase II, and phase III clinical studies for patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent esophageal cancer. All of the studies are listed on the National Institutes of Health website at ClinicalTrials.gov.
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Are you eating at least five fruits and vegetables every day?
A new study published in the British Journal of Cancer suggests that some compounds found largely in fruits and vegetables called “flavonoids may reduce incidence and improve survival” for some cancers.
It is well-known that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is beneficial to one’s health and well-being. What is particularly exciting about this research is that it specifically focused on the two common types of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer.
The study is titled “Dietary intake of flavonoids and oesophageal and gastric cancer: incidence and survival in the United States of America (USA).”
Researchers interviewed patients that were diagnosed with esophageal cancer, both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cancer (adenocarcinoma).
Esophageal adenocarcinoma is the most common type of esophageal cancer in the western world and is the fastest growing cancer in the United States.*
Also one of the deadliest cancers, esophageal cancer shows extremely poor survival rates, as the cancer is extremely aggressive and is typically caught in later, advanced stages. Currently, there are no routine or standard screenings to detect esophageal cancer in earlier stages. The overall five-year survival rate is less than 18%.
According to the published abstract found on British Journal’s website, the researchers linked patients’ responses from food frequency questionnaires with USDA Flavonoid Databases and available literature for six flavonoid classes and lignans (chemical compound found in plants).
The abstract details that “flavonoids have experimentally demonstrated chemopreventive effects against esophageal and gastric cancers,” but there have been few studies which examine “flavonoid intake and incidence of these cancers and none have considered survival.”
While fruits and vegetables are the main sources of flavonoids, tea and red wine also contain the compound.
Certain fruits and vegetables can cause symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Therefore, acid reflux sufferers should be careful about consuming certain spicy, citrus and/or acidic food and drinks and should limit or completely avoid drinking wine. It is important to speak to your doctor before making any changes to your health.
“Our findings, if confirmed, suggest that increased dietary anthocyanidin intake may reduce incidence and improve survival for these cancers,” researchers stated. To read the full abstract, please click here.
Sources:
British Journal of Cancer, 10 February 2015; doi:10.1038/bjc.2015.25 bjcancer.com
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
“Overweight children may be at higher risk of esophageal cancer when they grow up than their slimmer friends, according to research published this week in the British Journal of Cancer
Researchers* studied the health records of more than 255,000 Danish school children, born between 1930 and 1971, whose height and weight was measured every year between the ages of 7 and 13**. The researchers used this to go back and calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI).
BMI looks at weight compared to height and is a simple way of assessing whether people are a healthy weight.
More than 250 of the children went on to develop esophageal cancer over the age of 40. By matching these middle-aged patients with their school records, researchers found that children aged 9-13 with a higher BMI, who were more likely to be overweight or obese, appeared to be at greater risk of developing this type of cancer in later life.
Using their results from the 1930s to the 1970s, they calculated that 2.1 per cent of all oesophageal cases in adult men in Denmark could be attributed to boys being overweight or obese at the age of 13.
But they estimate that this figure could go up to around 17.5 per cent of all these male esophageal cancer cases in the future due to the rise in childhood obesity levels.
Dr Jennifer Baker, associate professor at The Institute of Preventive Medicine in Denmark and the University of Copenhagen, said: “Our results suggest that the increase in the number of overweight and obese children might lead to a significant rise in future cases of esophageal cancer.
“It may be that being overweight as a child is directly linked to a higher risk of developing this cancer in later life. Or it might be that overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults, and we know that being above a healthy weight as an adult is a risk factor for many cancers, including oesophageal.
More research is needed, but however the link works, our results underline how important it is for children to be a healthy weight – particularly as there is some evidence that overweight children could be at higher risk of other cancers later in life.”
Esophageal cancer – sometimes called cancer of the food pipe or gullet – is the 13th most common cancer in adults, with around 8,300 cases diagnosed each year in the UK.
In the United States, esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer with over a 600% increase in the past decades.
A previous Cancer Research UK study estimated that being overweight or obese causes more than one in four esophageal cancers in men and around one in 10 in women. This may be because people who are obese are more likely to suffer from acid reflux – when acid coming back up from the stomach can irritate the lining of the esophagus – which is a risk factor for esophageal cancer. A higher BMI is also associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease in children.
The Danish research did not take into account any social or lifestyle factors that might contribute to a person’s risk of developing cancer, but researchers say there was little evidence that these might have affected their results.
Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: “This research suggests that being overweight as a child could have effects on your health even decades later. It highlights how important it is to ensure that children eat healthily and are active, as this gives them the best possible start in life and could help to prevent them from developing diseases such as cancer in the future.”
This post is based on information provided by British Journal of Cancer.
Other sources: “Esophageal Cancer On The Rise,” WebMD
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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