Loss of heterozygosities in Barrett esophagus, dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma detected by esophageal brushing cytology and gastroesophageal biopsy.

Background: Esophageal brushing cytology (EBC) and gastroesophageal biopsy (GEB) are complementary procedures for the evaluation of gastroesophageal lesions that help guide surveillance and treatment.

Methods: The authors investigated loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 17 microsatellite repeat markers near tumor suppressor genes in gastroesophageal lesions on 34 concomitant EBCs and GEBs.

Results: The results indicated that there was progressive accumulation of LOHs toward malignant transformation. EBC samples a greater area than GEB, and more LOHs are detected by EBC than GEB. The combination of cytomorphology and detection of LOHs can improve diagnostic accuracy and is a more useful methodology with which to evaluate gastroesophageal lesions than either EBC or GEB alone. The authors also found that LOHs at 1p36, 9p21, and 17p13 may play an important role in Barrett esophagus (BE), LOHs at 10q23, 17p13, and 17q12 in low-grade dysplasia (LGD), LOHs at 5q23 and 17q21 in high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and LOHs at 5q23 and 21q22 in adenocarcinoma.

Conclusions: Detection of LOHs targeting tumor suppressor genes can be useful in evaluating gastroesophageal lesions, studying oncogenesis of gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, and, in combination with EBC and GEB, determining surveillance for BE and LGD and/or treatment for HGD and adenocarcinoma.