Esophageal Cancer News and Research

RSS

Esophageal Cancer is cancer that forms in tissues lining the esophagus (the muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach). Two types of esophageal cancer are squamous cell carcinoma (cancer that begins in flat cells lining the esophagus) and adenocarcinoma (cancer that begins in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).

Sanford clinical study exploring immunotherapy drug to treat patients with advanced esophageal cancer

A clinical trial at Sanford Health is studying if an immunotherapy drug developed by Merck might be able to treat certain patients with advanced esophageal cancer. The Merck Keynote 181 trial is now open at Sanford.

31 Jan 2017

Study provides new insights into molecular subtypes of esophageal cancer

A comprehensive analysis of 559 esophageal and gastric cancer samples, collected from patients around the world, suggests the two main types of esophageal cancer differ markedly in their molecular characteristics and should be considered separate diseases.

5 Jan 2017

Oral cavity bacterium linked to development and progression of esophageal cancer

A type of bacterium usually found in the human mouth, Fusobacterium nucleatum, has been found to be related to the prognosis of esophageal cancer in Japanese patients by researchers from Kumamoto University, Japan.

9 Dec 2016

Sanford opens new immunotherapy study on colorectal cancer

Sanford Health has opened another clinical trial exploring the power of the body's immune system to fight cancer.

21 Oct 2016

How could emerging technologies impact cancer care?

The major innovations in cancer diagnosis, therapy/palliative care and surgical intervention are too numerous to list here. But enormous strides have taken place in stem cell therapy, monoclonal antibody therapy and genetic screening.

17 Oct 2016

Gene fusions in esophageal adenocarcinomas offer new molecular insights into lethal cancer

Despite years of research, cellular mechanisms contributing to cancers like esophageal adenocarcinoma have remained elusive.

26 Aug 2016

New study uses evolutionary theory to predict cancer risk in patients with Barrett's esophagus

A disorder known as Barrett's esophagus (BE) affects some 200,000 Americans each year. The condition, which is caused by stomach acid damaging the lining of the esophagus, can lead to the development of a serious, potentially fatal cancer of epithelial tissue, known as esophageal adenocarcinoma.

25 Aug 2016

Study discovers mechanism by which bioscaffolds influence cellular behavior

A study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine identifies a mechanism by which bioscaffolds used in regenerative medicine influence cellular behavior, a question that has remained unanswered since the technology was first developed several decades ago.

29 Jul 2016

New method uses computer to scan esophagus images for signs of esophageal cancer

Recognizing the early stages of esophageal cancer is difficult because it can easily be missed. TU Eindhoven has therefore been working with the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven to develop a method to enable a computer to scan esophagus images for signs of esophageal cancer.

5 Jul 2016

Very hot drinks probably cause cancer, warns WHO

The cancer agency of the World Health Organization says drinking very hot beverages is probably associated with esophageal cancer.

16 Jun 2016

Inflammatory response prompted by secretion of cytokines causes acid reflux damage in GERD patients

The "acid" in "acid reflux" may not be the direct cause of damage to the esophagus as previously suspected, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Dallas VA Medical Center.

18 May 2016

P. gingivalis could be a novel risk factor for esophageal cancer

University of Louisville School of Dentistry researchers have found a bacterial species responsible for gum disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is present in 61 percent of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

27 Feb 2016

Poor black patients at higher risk of death following esophageal cancer surgery

Poor black patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer are at higher risk for death than white patients and patients with higher socioeconomic status, according to a scientific presentation at the 52nd Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

27 Jan 2016

Genetic modification in esophagus can lead to esophageal cancer

A genetic modification in the mucous membrane of the esophagus, the Barrett esophagus, can lead to esophageal cancer. If certain biomarkers are contained in these tissue alterations, so-called miDNA, these are extremely short DNA strands, it could be an indication that this preliminary stage of esophageal cancer indeed leads to cancer.

28 Dec 2015

People who experience persistent heartburn despite over-the-counter treatments need to check with their doctors

If Thanksgiving makes you wince at the thought of impending heartburn pain, you are probably not alone. But if you experience heartburn more than twice a week despite over-the-counter treatments, a Jefferson expert wants you to check with your doctor. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Awareness Week is observed each year during the week of Thanksgiving, a fitting time as Americans prepare to indulge in the holiday season.

23 Nov 2015

PET imaging technique does not improve outcomes in esophageal cancer patients

Patients with cancer of the esophagus—also known as the gullet—are often given chemo- or radiotherapy, with the aim of shrinking the tumor before it is surgically removed.

4 Sep 2015

New study suggests potential use of targeted therapies for two subtypes of esophageal cancer

Nearly all advanced esophageal cancers harbor genetic mutations that can be targeted with emerging drug therapies, according to a new study published in The Oncologist on September 2, 2015.

3 Sep 2015

MACC1 gene can help predict better treatment options for patients with Klatskin carcinoma

Bile duct cancer is rare and is usually detected too late. Often only extensive liver surgery can help or, in rare cases, liver transplantation. But which patients will benefit from surgery and which will not, because their risk of cancer recurrence is too high? With the oncogene MACC1 as a biomarker, physicians for the first time have a tool to decide which treatment option is best for patients with Klatskin carcinoma, one type of bile duct cancer.

1 Sep 2015

LINE-1 jumping gene unusually active in gastrointestinal cancer

Results of a trio of studies done on human cancer tissue biopsies have added to growing evidence that a so-called jumping gene called LINE-1 is active during the development of many gastrointestinal cancers.

19 Aug 2015

Studies show jumping genes more active during development of gastrointestinal cancers

18 Aug 2015