Current Status and Future Prospects for Oesophageal Cancer

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2022) | Viewed by 9004

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 rue Albert-Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
Interests: epigenetics; mechanisms of carcinogenesis; molecular biology; DNA repair; exposome; biomarkers

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Guest Editor
Tumor Epigenetics Group, Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro CEP 20231-050, Brazil
Interests: oesophageal cancer; epigenetics; DNA methylation; field cancerization; head and neck cancer; childhood cancer; biomarkers; mutational signatures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oesophageal cancer (OC) is among the ten most frequent tumors worldwide and it is highly lethal. Late diagnosis and poor response to treatment are the main determinants of patients’ poor prognosis. Two histological types, adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, account for more than 95% of the cases and differ in terms of associated risk factors, affected populations, and molecular mechanisms, but not in mortality. Despite the recent advances in cancer patient care, reached through the identification of molecular subtypes, new therapeutic approaches and better risk stratification, OC did not benefit from such efforts. Therefore, improvements in OC early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis prediction are still urgent.

We are pleased to invite you to take part in this effort to bring light to oesophageal cancer natural history. Obesity is a global epidemic and directly associated with oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) development. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to bring together studies on this association, especially focused on the obesity-induced mechanisms that contribute to carcinogenesis, biomarkers able to predict individuals at risk of developing OAC, disease progression and patients’ prognosis. In contrast, oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with poor nutrition, tobacco, alcohol, hot beverages, opium, among other risk factors. Such a complex etiology results in a highly heterogeneous molecular profile and impairs screening, the development of early biomarkers as well as the development of targeted-therapies. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. Descriptive epidemiology – global trends
  2. Epidemiology - Risk factors
  3. Molecular mechanisms
  4. Biomarkers research
  5. Diagnostics – Screening
  6. Therapy and prevention

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Zdenko Herceg
Dr. Sheila Coelho Soares-Lima
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oesophageal adenocarcinoma
  • oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
  • epigenetics
  • genetics
  • biomarkers
  • risk factor exposure
  • early alterations
  • Barrett esophagus

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1693 KiB  
Article
The Role of Age and Comorbidities in Esophagogastric Cancer Chemoradiation of the Frail Elderly (>70 Years): An Analysis from a Tertiary High Volume-Center
by Philipp Linde, Markus Mallmann, Anne Adams, Simone Wegen, Jiaqi Fan, Johannes Rosenbrock, Maike Trommer, Simone Marnitz, Christian Baues and Eren Celik
Cancers 2023, 15(1), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15010106 - 23 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1406
Abstract
Elderly patients > 70 years of age with esophageal cancer (EC) represent a challenging group as frailty and comorbidities need to be considered. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of curative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with [...] Read more.
Elderly patients > 70 years of age with esophageal cancer (EC) represent a challenging group as frailty and comorbidities need to be considered. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of curative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with regard to basic geriatric screening in elderly patients in order to elucidate prognostic factors. Thirty-four elderly patients > 70 years with EC treated at our cancer center between May 2014 and October 2018 fulfilled the selection criteria for this retrospective analysis. Treatment consisted of intravenous infusion of carboplatin/paclitaxel or fluorouracil (5-FU)/cisplatin with the intention of neoadjuvant or definite chemoradiation. Clinicopathological data including performance status (ECOG), (age-adjusted) Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), Frailty-scale by Fried, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form, body mass index, C-reactive protein to albumin ratio, and treatment-related toxicity (CTCAE) were assessed. Data were analyzed as predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). All patients (ten female, 24 male) received combined CRT (22 patients in neoadjuvant, 12 patients in definite intent). Median age was 75 years and the ECOG index between 0 and 1 (52.9% vs. 35.3%); four patients were rated as ECOG 3 (11.8%). Median follow-up was 24 months. Tumors were mainly located in the lower esophagus or esophagogastric-junction with an T3 stage (n = 25; 75.8%) and N1 stage (n = 28; 90.3%). 15 patients (44.1%) had SCC, 19 patients (55.9%) AC. 26 of the patients (76.5%) were scored as prefrail and 50% were in risk for malnutrition (n = 17). In relation to the BMI, ten patients (29.4%) were ranked as overweight, and 15 patients were presented in a healthy state of weight (44.1%). Grade 3 acute toxicity (or higher) occured in nine cases (26.5%). Most of the patients did not show any late toxicities (66.7%). Trimodal therapy provides a significant prolonged OS (p = 0.049) regardless of age, but without impact on PFS. Our analysis suggests that chemoradiation therapy is feasible for elderly patients (>70 years) with tolerable toxicity. Trimodal therapy of EC shows a positive effect on OS and PFS. Further studies are needed to elucidate benefitting subgroups within the elderly. In addition to age, treatment decisions should be based on performance status, nutritional condition and multidisciplinary validated geriatric screening tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Status and Future Prospects for Oesophageal Cancer)
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11 pages, 602 KiB  
Article
Sex Differences in Neoplastic Progression in Barrett’s Esophagus: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study
by Carlijn A. M. Roumans, Pauline A. Zellenrath, Ewout W. Steyerberg, Iris Lansdorp-Vogelaar, Michael Doukas, Katharina Biermann, Joyce Alderliesten, Gert van Ingen, Wouter B. Nagengast, Arend Karrenbeld, Frank ter Borg, Mariska Hage, Pieter C. J. ter Borg, Michael A. den Bakker, Alaa Alkhalaf, Frank C. P. Moll, Lieke Brouwer-Hol, Joop van Baarlen, Rutger Quispel, Arjan van Tilburg, Jordy P. W. Burger, Antonie J. P. van Tilburg, Ariadne H. A. G. Ooms, Thjon J. Tang, Mariëlle J. L. Romberg-Camps, Danny Goudkade, Marco J. Bruno, Dimitris Rizopoulos and Manon C. W. Spaanderadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Cancers 2022, 14(13), 3240; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14133240 - 01 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1674
Abstract
Recommendations in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) guidelines are mainly based on male patients. We aimed to evaluate sex differences in BE patients in (1) probability of and (2) time to neoplastic progression, and (3) differences in the stage distribution of neoplasia. We conducted a [...] Read more.
Recommendations in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) guidelines are mainly based on male patients. We aimed to evaluate sex differences in BE patients in (1) probability of and (2) time to neoplastic progression, and (3) differences in the stage distribution of neoplasia. We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study including 868 BE patients. Cox regression modeling and accelerated failure time modeling were used to estimate the sex differences. Neoplastic progression was defined as high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and/or esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Among the 639 (74%) males and 229 females that were included (median follow-up 7.1 years), 61 (7.0%) developed HGD/EAC. Neoplastic progression risk was estimated to be twice as high among males (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.11–4.62) than females. The risk of HGD was found to be higher in males (HR 3.76, 95% CI 1.33–10.6). Time to HGD/EAC (AR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29–0.95) and HGD (AR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.86) was shorter in males. Females had proportionally more EAC than HGD and tended to have higher stages of neoplasia at diagnosis. In conclusion, both the risk of and time to neoplastic progression were higher in males. However, females were proportionally more often diagnosed with (advanced) EAC. We should strive for improved neoplastic risk stratification per individual BE patient, incorporating sex disparities into new prediction models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Status and Future Prospects for Oesophageal Cancer)
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Review

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29 pages, 1727 KiB  
Review
Current Status and Future Prospects for Esophageal Cancer
by Mahdi Sheikh, Gholamreza Roshandel, Valerie McCormack and Reza Malekzadeh
Cancers 2023, 15(3), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15030765 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5265
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the ninth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) are the two main histological subtypes with distinct epidemiological and clinical features. While the global incidence [...] Read more.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the ninth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) are the two main histological subtypes with distinct epidemiological and clinical features. While the global incidence of ESCC is declining, the incidence of EAC is increasing in many countries. Decades of epidemiologic research have identified distinct environmental exposures for ESCC and EAC subtypes. Recent advances in understanding the genomic aspects of EC have advanced our understanding of EC causes and led to using specific genomic alterations in EC tumors as biomarkers for early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this cancer. Nevertheless, the prognosis of EC is still poor, with a five-year survival rate of less than 20%. Currently, there are significant challenges for early detection and secondary prevention for both ESCC and EAC subtypes, but Cytosponge™ is shifting this position for EAC. Primary prevention remains the preferred strategy for reducing the global burden of EC. In this review, we will summarize recent advances, current status, and future prospects of the studies related to epidemiology, time trends, environmental risk factors, prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment for both EC subtypes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Status and Future Prospects for Oesophageal Cancer)
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