17p (p53) allelic losses, 4N (G_2/tetraploid) populations, and progression to aneuploidy in Barrett's esophagus

摘要

Increased 4N (G_2/tetraploid) cell popula- tions have been postulated to be genetically unstable inter- mediates in the progression to many cancers, but the mech- anism by which they develop and their relationship to insta- bility have been difficult to investigate in humans in vivo. Barrett's esophagus is an excellent model system in which to investigate the order in which genetic and cell cycle abnor- malities develop relative to each other during human neoplasm- tic progression.