Gene test could detect gullet cancer eight years early

‘Predictive markers’ found in 94pc of people with the disease could prevent thousands of deaths

DEADLY cancer of the oesophagus could be spotted eight years earlier with a new gene test, giving hope that thousands of deaths could be prevented each year. Nearly 9,000 people are told they have oesophageal cancer in Britain annually, but the disease is often picked up at a late stage, after it has spread, and nearly 90 per cent of sufferers die within 10 years.

However, scientists at Cambridge University have discovered that important genetic changes occur in people who go on to develop the cancer, and these can be spotted up to eight years early. The sooner cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat and the better the long-term prognosis.

Prof Rebecca Fitzgerald, the lead researcher based at the University of Cambridge MRC Cancer Unit, said: “Many people with oesophageal cancer are diagnosed when their disease has already spread and is harder to treat.

“Testing for these new markers during regular checks could help identify people who have a high chance of developing oesophageal cancer.”

The oesophagus, or gullet is the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. To discover the changes in the body that could highlight the early presence of cancer in the gullet, scientists studied the oesophageal tissue from 90 patients suffering from Barrett’s oesophagus, a common condition in which cells lining the food pipe change shape.

Around one in 10 people who suffer from acid reflux will develop Barrett’s oesophagus – about 260,000 adults – and around 5 per cent of those people will eventually develop oesophageal cancer.

The team found predictive genetic markers in 94 per cent of the people who went on to develop gullet cancer, and the markers were present up to eight years before symptoms appeared.

Currently people with Barrett’s oesophagus are given endoscopies every few years. But the new test could mean people with high-risk genetic markers can be closely monitored for early signs that cancer will develop,

It would also means the majority of people who are at a low risk of developing oesophageal cancer could have far fewer endoscopies. Prof Matt Seymour, the National Cancer Research Institute’s clinical research director, said: “It could be that, as well as helping to predict who will develop the disease, these genetic markers could point the way to new treatments.”

It is estimated that around 90 per cent of cases of oesophageal cancer could be avoided if people made lifestyle changes, such as giving up smoking, drinking less alcohol and cutting down on spicy and fatty foods.

The research is being presented at the National Cancer Research Institute’s (NCRI) cancer conference in Liverpool today.