A statistical model has been developed that uses genomic data to accurately predict whether a patient with Barrett’s oesophagus has a high or low risk of developing cancer.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), and collaborators sequenced genomes from biopsies routinely collected from patients with Barrett’s oesophagus. These patients are monitored for early signs of oesophageal cancer.
The researchers used the data to look for differences between patients who were ultimately diagnosed with cancer and those who were not.
The data were used to develop a statistical model measuring each patient’s individual risk.
Other recent cancer studies have shown that genomic mutations leading to cancer may occur many years before a patient is diagnosed with the disease. Being able to identify these mutations could provide a new route to early diagnosis and treatment.
Using genomic data from 88 patients with Barrett’s oesophagus, the researchers identified half of the patients who were diagnosed with oesophageal cancer as “high risk” more than eight years before diagnosis.
The numbers went up to 70% two years before diagnosis. Equally important, the model also accurately predicted patients who were at a very low risk of developing cancer.
Picture Credit | iStock
