Genetic Discovery Hints at Hereditary Risk of Esophageal Cancer and Barrett's Esophagus

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia studied the DNA samples and medical data of more than 8,000 patients and have found four genetic variants in DNA that is associated with increased risk of esophageal cancer and Barrett's esophagus.

Barrett's esophagus is a disorder in which the lining of the esophagus (the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach) is damaged by stomach acid and changed to a lining similar to that of the stomach. There is a small chance that people afflicted with Barrett's esophagus develop esophageal cancer.

Previously, esophageal cancer and its precursor, Barrett's esophagus are blamed on factors such as obesity, gastroesophageal reflux , smoking and an unhealthy diet. This latest discovery hints that the disease can also be hereditary.