Digital pathology: Discovering and verifying Barretts' disease progression markers in tissue samples using LCM-coupled SRM assays.

摘要

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) arising from Barrett's esophagus (BE) has increased by 350percent since 1970, and at the time of presentation, 50percent of patients will have advanced disease with virtually no chance for cure. The prognosis for EAC arising from BE is poor with an overall 5-year survival rate less than 15percent, with no verified progression markers. So there is clearly a need to define those patients at highest risk for cancer development beyond the histologic identification of dysplasia within a BE field. Currently, risk for esophageal cancer is determined by the histologic appearance of BE, however there is a large degree of intra- and inter-observer variability among pathologists.