Publications by authors named "P Merkert"

Esophageal cancer related gene 1 (ECRG1) is a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene in human esophageal squamous cells. Overexpression of ECRG1 protein inhibits tumor cell proliferation. Genetic polymorphisms in coding sequences of the gene may cause functional alterations of the gene product and be associated with higher cancer risk and disease phenotypes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Goals: To study the role of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in serum microsatellite DNA of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

Background: In GIST, tumor markers from peripheral blood are missing.

Study: Seventy-eight patients (59 GIST, 13 leiomyomas, 2 leiomyosarcomas, and 4 schwannomas) underwent resection at our institute between 1985 and 2006.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The clinical distinction between cancer and chronic pancreatitis is difficult in patients with pancreatic masses. To test whether detection of aberrant serum DNA could assist in this important differential diagnosis, we tested a panel of 12 microsatellitemarkers from chromosomes 17p, 17q, 13q, 9p, 5q, and 2p in the blood of 35 pancreatic cancer patients, 22 patients with chronic pancreatitis, and 20 healthy individuals. An average of 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms in exon 4 of the esophageal cancer-related gene 2 (ECRG2) are a risk marker for esophageal carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to correlate these STRs with clinical outcome.

Methods: Genomic DNA of 86 patients who underwent complete surgical resection was analyzed for STRs TCA3/TCA3, TCA3/TCA4, and TCA4/TCA4 in exon 4 of ECRG2 by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) may be a valuable tool for detection of malignant proceedings. The aim of our study was to investigate LOH in the serum of patients with adenocarcinoma of the distal oesophagus and the cardia for diagnostic and prognostic utility.

Patients And Methods: Matched tumour and serum samples from 46 surgically treated patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma and cardia carcinoma divided in two groups were analysed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF