BACKGROUND There are only three reports using conventional sonography to detect the gastroesophageal junction through the left lobe liver window in patients with achalasia, and the results were inconsistent. This study further characterizes the sonographic features of achalasia and compares them to characteristics of subjects with gastroesophageal malignancies. METHODS Conventional sonography...

HYPOTHESIS Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are useful biological determinants in targeted therapy for esophageal adenocarcinoma. DESIGN Prospective analysis. SETTING University tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Sixteen patients with squamous mucosa and normal results of a pH study without mucosal injury (con...

T he incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been rising rapidly over the past few decades. The major risk factors predisposing to the development of adenocarcinoma are long-standing gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrett esophagus, but other factors may be involved as cancer can occur in their absence. In patients with Barrett esophagus, the extent and degree of dysplasia influence the...

In this study, we aimed to determine the potential association of MTHFR tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with risk of developing esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJA). MTHFR rs1801133 G>A, rs3753584 T>C, rs4845882 G>A, rs4846048 A>G and rs9651118 T>C polymorphisms were genotyped in 1,677 healthy individuals and 1,063 patients with EGJA. We found that MTHFR rs1801133 G>A p...

BACKGROUND Esophagopericardial fistula is a rare but life-threatening complication of benign, malignant or traumatic esophageal disease. It is most commonly associated with benign etiology and carries a high mortality rate which increases with delay in diagnosis. CASE PRESENTATION We present a case of an esophagopericardial fistula as a rare complication in a 53-year-old male patient, 7 month...

The TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway is found to play pivotal roles in cell growth, differentiation and tumorigenesis. Its target genes are closely related to the biological behaviors of some malignancies. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of the target genes of this pathway, including growth-related c-myc, p21, p15, and metastasis-related Snail, ZEB1 and Twist1 in the adenocarcin...

Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) with advanced gastric cancer is very rare; when it occurs, it exhibits aggressive growth and carries a poor prognosis. In addition, definitive treatment has not been established due to insufficient data. Herein, we report a case of PVTT associated with an adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction that was successfully controlled by means of a palliative ...

BACKGROUND The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction is increasing. This study aims to evaluate the clinicopathological features of Chinese patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction and to define prognostic factors. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed a database of 382 consecutive patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction at the Firs...

BACKGROUND In recent years the literature has recorded a progressive increase in the prevalence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction. Several factors can interfere with the morbidity and mortality of surgical treatment. AIM Non-randomized retrospective study of prognostic factors of operated patients by adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction, with or without post-operative ch...