Predicting Early Tumor Recurrence in Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

DNA Methylation, Esophageal Cancer, Recurrence

The prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who develop post-operative early tumor recurrence is often relatively poor. Therefore, biomarker that can detect micro metastases before the start of treatment is required. Epigenomic alterations such as DNA methylation have attracted attention as promising biomarkers. The investigators aim to predict early recurrence based on whole genome DNA methylation analysis of esophageal cancer.

Prognosis for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains poor. Surgery is one of the standard treatments for patients with ESCC who are considered to have a curative resection, however, approximately 40% of patients develop tumor recurrence within two years after surgery. The main cause of poor prognosis in ESCC patients undergoing surgery is postoperative tumor recurrence due to the presence of latent micro-metastases at the time of surgery. Even with today's advances in preoperative diagnostic techniques, predicting early tumor recurrence remains difficult due to the lack of established methods. Epigenetic markers, especially DNA methylation, are considered ideal markers for predicting cancer metastasis due to their cancer-specific methylation patterns, biological stability, and technical reproducibility. Our study aims to evaluate methylation of surgical specimens to assess residual disease and predict early recurrence.

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