Genetic test to predict esophageal cancer?

Genetic Clues to Cancer Risk From GERD
Researchers Use Genetic Markers to Identify GERD Patients at Risk for Esophageal Cancer
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Jan. 13, 2009 -- Researchers say they are a step closer to developing a genetic test to predict which people with acid reflux will develop esophageal cancer.

Nearly 20 million people in the U.S. suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, and doctors have known for some time that it is a risk factor for esophageal cancer.

Yet only a small fraction of people with GERD develop esophageal cancer, and "the question is, why?" says Winson Y. Cheung, MD, a clinical research fellow working with the University of Toronto and the Harvard School of Public Health.

The new study is the first to identify specific genetic markers that are linked with increased cancer risk in people with GERD, he tells WebMD.

Read the full article: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20090113/genetic-clues-to-cancer-risk-from-gerd?src=RSS_PUBLIC