BACKGROUND Barrett's oesophagus is a pre-malignant condition at gastroesophageal junction in which normal squamous epithelium is replaced by columnar shape epithelium, which predisposes oesophageal adenocarcinoma. It is known that Barrett's oesophagus evolves as a consequence of chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Although progression of Barrett's oesophagus to adenocarcinoma is still un...

Cancer is a global burden due to high incidence and mortality rates and is ranked the second most diagnosed disease amongst non-communicable diseases in South Africa. A high expression level of the 37kDa/67kDa laminin receptor (LRP/LR) is one characteristic of cancer cells. This receptor is implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer cells by supporting tumor angiogenesis, metastasis and especiall...

OBJECTIVE This study provides a longitudinal assessment of distress in longer-term oesophageal cancer carers, while examining illness perception schema as a possible determinant of change in distress over time. METHODS Oesophageal cancer carers (n = 171), 48 months post-diagnosis, were assessed at baseline and 12 months later with the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, Cancer Coping Qu...

Although various factors have been implicated in the aetiology of oesophageal cancer, one factor common to many countries is the consumption of alcoholic beverages. In England and Wales mrtality from oesophageal cancer declined rapidly during the early part of this century but both mortality and incidence have increased in recent years. The generation of males born in 1906 had lower mortality t...

BACKGROUND Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) may be used for preoperative staging of gastro-oesophageal carcinoma but performance values given in the literature differ. AIMS To identify and synthesise findings from all articles on the performance of EUS in tumour, node, metastasis (TNM) staging of gastro-oesophageal carcinoma. SOURCE Published and unpublished English language literature, 1981-199...

BACKGROUND Endoscopic screening has been proposed for patients with symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in the hope of reducing mortality from oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Assessing the net benefits of such a strategy requires a precise understanding of the cancer risk in the screened population. AIM To estimate precisely the association between symptoms of GERD and oesophagea...

BACKGROUND It is unclear if differential chemotherapy effects exist on overall survival (OS), response rate (RR) and toxicity depending on primary tumour origin [oesophageal versus oesophago-gastric junction (OGJ) versus gastric adenocarcinoma]. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 2110 patients were enrolled in four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing fluoropyrimidine +/- platinum-based...

BACKGROUND Multiple occurrences of oesophageal dysplasia are frequently observed in head and neck cancer patients, and closely associated with alcohol consumption. Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, is thought to play an important role in the carcinogenesis of the upper aerodigestive tract. AIM To investigate if genetic polymorphism in alcohol metabolising enzymes (ADH3, alcohol d...

BACKGROUND Oesophageal cancer is a comparatively rare disease in the Western world. Prognosis is highly dependent on the choice of treatment. Early stages can be treated by endoscopic resection, whereas surgery needs to be performed in the case of advanced carcinomas. Technical progress has enabled high-definition endoscopes and technical add-ons which help the endoscopist in finding fine irreg...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between use of bisphosphonates estimated from prescription information and risk of gastrointestinal cancers. DESIGN Series of nested case-control studies. SETTING General practices in the United Kingdom contributing to the QResearch primary care database (660) and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) (643). PARTICIPANTS Patients aged ≥ 50...