Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC – University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | Department of Pathology, Erasmus MC – University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Note: [] Corresponding author: M. Kerkhof, MD, PhD, Dept. of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC – University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 10 4634681; Fax +31 10 4634682; E-mail: m.kerkhof@erasmusmc.nl
Abstract: Barrett esophagus (BE) is caused by chronic gastroesophageal reflux and predisposes to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma through different grades of dysplasia. Only a subset of BE patients will finally develop esophageal adenocarcinoma. The majority will therefore not benefit from an endoscopic surveillance program, based on the histological identification of dysplasia. Several studies have been performed to find additional biomarkers that can be used to detect the subgroup of patients with an increased risk of developing malignancy in BE. In this review, we will summarize the most promising tissue biomarkers, i.e. proliferation/cell cycle proteins, tumor suppressor genes, adhesion molecules, DNA ploidy status and inflammation associated markers, that can be used for risk stratification in BE, and discuss their respective clinical application.
