Genomic testing can help identify patients at heightened risk for esophageal cancer

Barrett's esophagus (BE) develops in a subset of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and can increase the risk of developing cancer of the esophagus. Although periodic surveillance for cancer is recommended for BE patients, these examinations may fail to identify pre-cancerous dysplasia and early cancers. A report now describes a test using next-generation sequencing to detect genomic mutations in precancerous esophageal tissue, which may improve cancer surveillance and early detection in patients with BE.

from Today's Healthcare News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1GpCOBm