Medical Researchers have established a novel genomic test with the help of which they believe they can help in diagnosing esophageal cancer almost eight years prior to the actual symptoms start to appear in individuals who are at a greater risk of the disease.
Researchers from University of Cambridge examined tissue samples from individuals having Barrett’s esophagus, which is a severe complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease which can progress into cancer in about five percent of people.
In retrospect the researchers keyed out genetic markers in 94% of those individuals who later acquired early signs of esophageal cancer, and from the sample tissues that were extracted from individuals several years prior to the symptoms which first showed, the researchers were able to detect them.
Since till date there are no tests which can precisely foresee the lesser proportion of individuals having Barrett’s esophagus and eventually develop cancer, it is mandatory that every patient goes through endoscopic screening every few years.
The accessibility of novel tests would determine that those patients with high-risk genetic patterns are monitored meticulously for primary signs and symptoms that potentially cancer will develop and therefore enhance the probability of acquiring the best possible treatment results, while decreasing the number of endoscopies required for those who are having low-risk.
Lead researcher at University of Cambridge MRC Cancer Unit, Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald said that the subsequent step is to determine this novel approach in clinical trials to see if it helps in diagnosing esophageal cancer much sooner when the treatment has more successful probabilities.
To which Professor Matt Seymour who is the director of NCRI’s clinical research added, that studies like this not just ensure the early diagnosis, but also bring out additional stuff pertaining to the disease.
The research offered at the NCRI’s conference in Liverpool was sponsored by the Medical Research Council, and got infrastructure backing from the Cambridge Human Research Tissue Bank and the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre.