Recent advances in Barrett's esophagus

Temporal single-cell RNA sequencing dataset of gastroesophagus development from embryonic to post-natal stages

Gastroesophageal disorders and cancers impose a significant global burden. Particularly, the prevalence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has increased dramatically in recent years. Barrett's esophagus, a precursor of EAC, features a unique tissue adaptation at the gastroesophageal squamo-columnar junction (GE-SCJ), where the esophagus meets the stomach. Investigating the evolution of GE-SCJ and understanding dysregulation in its homeostasis are crucial for elucidating cancer pathogenesis. Here, we present the technical quality of the comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset from mice that captures the transcriptional dynamics during the development of the esophagus, stomach and the GE-SCJ at embryonic, neonatal and adult stages. Through integration with external scRNA-seq datasets and validations using organoid and animal models, we demonstrate the dataset's consistency in identified cell types and transcriptional profiles. This dataset will be a valuable resource for studying developmental patterns and associated signaling networks in the tissue microenvironment. By offering insights into cellular programs during homeostasis, it facilitates the identification of changes leading to conditions like metaplasia and cancer, crucial for developing effective intervention strategies.

The causal associations of circulating lipids with Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Cancer: a bi-directional, two sample mendelian randomization analysis

OBJECTIVE

The causal associations of circulating lipids with Barrett's Esophagus (BE) and Esophageal Cancer (EC) has been a topic of debate. This study sought to elucidate the causality between circulating lipids and the risk of BE and EC.

METHODS

We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of circulating lipids (n = 94,595 - 431,167 individuals), BE (218,792 individuals), and EC (190,190 individuals) obtained from the publicly available IEU OpenGWAS database. The robustness and reliability of the results were ensured by employing inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO methods. The presence of horizontal pleiotropy, heterogeneities, and stability of instrumental variables were assessed through MR-Egger intercept test, Cochran's Q test, and leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. Additionally, bidirectional MR and multivariable MR (MVMR) were performed to explore reverse causality and adjust for known confounders, respectively.

RESULTS

None of the testing methods revealed statistically significant horizontal pleiotropy, directional pleiotropy, or heterogeneity. Univariate MR analyses using IVW indicated a robust causal relationship between increased triglycerides and BE (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, p-value = 0.009), while no significant association with EC was observed. Inverse MR analysis indicated no evidence of reverse causality in the aforementioned outcomes. In MVMR analyses, elevated triglycerides (TRG) were significantly and positively associated with BE risk (OR = 1.79, p-value = 0.041).

CONCLUSION

This MR study suggested that genetically increased triglycerides were closely related to an elevated risk of BE, potentially serving as a biomarker for the diagnosis of BE in the future.

Long-term (18 Years) Results of Patients With Long-segment Barrett Esophagus Submitted to Acid Suppression-duodenal Diversion Operation: Better Than Nissen Fundoplication?

OBJECTIVE

To determine late results of AS-DD procedure in long-segment (LSBE) and extralong-segment BE (ELSBE) using subjective and objective measurements to ascertain the histological impact over intestinal metaplasia (IM) and progression to EAC.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Barrett esophagus (BE) is a known precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), and Nissen fundoplication has proven to be unable to stop mixed reflux among them. Our group proposed a surgical procedure that handles pathophysiological changes responsible for BE.

METHODS

This prospective study included 127 LSBE and ELSBE subjects submitted to clinical and functional analyses. They were presented to selective vagotomy, fundoplication, partial gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. The changes in IM were determined in both groups.

RESULTS

Follow-up was completed at a mean of 18 years in 81% of the cases. Visick I-II scores were seen in 88% of LSBE and 65% in ELSBE ( P < 0.01). There was significant healing of erosive esophagitis and esophageal peptic ulcers, and strictures were resolved in 71%. There was 38% of IM regression in LSBE. Two cases in each group progressed to EAC at a mean of 15 years. Pathologic acid reflux was abolished in 91% and duodenal in 100%. There was a regression of low-grade dysplasia to IM in 80%.

CONCLUSIONS

AS-DD permanently eliminates pathologic refluxate to the esophagus. The progression to HGD/EAC is lower compared to medical treatment, with an 8-fold reduction in LSBE and 2.2-fold in ELSBE. AS-DD seems to influence IM behaviors, and it is a tool that could reduce and delay progression to EAC.

The Top-Cited Articles With a Focus on Barrett's Esophagus: A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND

Because the number of published literatures with a focus on Barrett's esophagus (BE) that researchers must be familiar with has quickly increased in recent years, the significance of selective searching and summarization of bibliometrics is also increasing. It is, thus, very important to find a method that can quickly and effectively search the most influential medical science articles. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use bibliometric analysis to assess and characterize the most influential articles involving BE research.

METHODS

Publications on BE research were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using the term "Barrett's esophagus." Microsoft Excel 2016 and VOSviewer were used to further analyzed each article's citation number, title, journal, country, organization, category, and authorship.

RESULTS

On 14 June 2020, 5,389 records of BE research published until 2020 were retrieved. The citation number of the top 100 most-cited articles ranged from 208 to 824. Gastroenterology published 29 articles, which accounted for the largest number of top 100 articles (29%); however, among the top 500 most-cited articles, the American Journal of Gastroenterology published the largest number. Of the top-cited articles, the USA was by far the leading country in BE research and contributed most of the articles (n = 72). Among the academic institutions that produced the top 100 most-cited articles, the University of Washington (n = 12) was dominant. Sharma Prateek (n = 6) authored the largest number of most-cited articles. The USA contributed the most articles per year, and the time trend of the number of top 500 articles increased by 38-fold between 1987 and 2000. "Adenocarcinoma," "high-grade dysplasia," "cancer," "diagnosis," and "dysplasia" were the most influential keywords.

CONCLUSIONS

This study not only presents a historical perspective but also facilitated the recognition of the significant advances in this area by researchers. Furthermore, the current study serves as a guide in decision clinical practice decision-making and provides a valuable reference for further research.

Detection of circulating BMP5 as a risk factor for Barrett's esophagus

Barrett's esophagus (BE) predisposes for the malignant condition of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Since BE patients have few or no symptoms, most of these patients are not identified and not included in surveillance programs. These BE patients are at risk of developing advanced-stage EAC. At present, non-invasive tests to identify BE patients from the general population are lacking. We and others showed that Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (BMP4), and other BMPs are upregulated in BE. We aimed to determine if circulating BMPs can be identified and used as blood biomarkers to identify BE patients at high risk in the general population. In this study, we could detect the different BMPs in the blood of 112 BE patients and 134 age- and sex-matched controls. Concentration levels of BMP2, BMP4, and BMP5 were elevated in BE patients, with BMP2 and BMP5 significantly increased. BMP5 remained significant after multivariate analysis and was associated with an increased risk for BE with an OR of 1.49 (p value 0.01). Per log (pg/mL) of BMP5, the odds of having BE increased by 50%. Future optimization and validation studies might be needed to prove its utility as a non-invasive method for the detection of BE in high-risk populations and screening programs.

Circulating Levels of Inflammatory and Metabolic Biomarkers and Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma and Barrett Esophagus: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Associations between circulating levels of obesity-related biomarkers and risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma and Barrett esophagus have been reported, but the results are inconsistent. A literature search until October 2018 in MEDLINE and EMBASE was performed. Pooled ORs with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for associations between 13 obesity-related inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers and risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma or Barrett esophagus using random effect meta-analyses. Among 7,641 studies, 19 were eligible for inclusion (12 cross-sectional, two nested case-control, and five cohort studies). Comparing the highest versus lowest categories of circulating biomarker levels, the pooled ORs were increased for leptin (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 0.95-2.97 for Barrett esophagus), glucose (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22 for esophageal adenocarcinoma), insulin (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.06-2.00 for Barrett esophagus), C-reactive protein (CRP; OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.28-3.31 for esophageal adenocarcinoma), IL6 (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.03-2.19 for esophageal adenocarcinoma), and soluble TNF receptor 2 (sTNFR-2; OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.76-5.65 for esophageal adenocarcinoma). No associations were identified for adiponectin, ghrelin, insulin-like growth factor 1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3, triglycerides, IL8, or TNFα. Higher circulating levels of leptin, glucose, insulin, CRP, IL6, and sTNFR-2 may be associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma or Barrett esophagus. More prospective studies are required to identify biomarkers that can help select high-risk individuals for targeted prevention and early detection.

Six to 12-year outcomes of magnetic sphincter augmentation for gastroesophageal reflux disease

The magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) device has been proven safe and effective in controlling typical reflux symptoms and esophageal acid exposure for up to 6-year follow-up. Longer term outcomes have not been reported yet. A prospectively maintained database was reviewed to assess long-term safety and efficacy of the laparoscopic MSA procedure at a single referral center. Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease-Health Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQL), use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), and esophageal acid exposure were compared to baseline. Favorable outcomes were defined as ≥ 50% improvement of GERD-HRQL total score and PPI discontinuation. Between March 2007 and March 2020, 335 patients met the study inclusion criteria, and 124 of them were followed from 6 to 12 years after surgery (median 9 years, IQR 2). Mean total GERD-HRQL score significantly improved from 19.9 to 4.01 (p < 0.001), and PPI were discontinued by 79% of patients. The mean total percent time with pH < 4 decreased from 9.6% at baseline to 4.1% (p < 0.001), with 89% of patients achieving pH normalization. Independent predictors of a favorable outcome were age at intervention < 40 years (OR 4.17) and GERD-HRQL score > 15 (OR 4.09). We confirm long-term safety and efficacy of MSA in terms of symptom improvement, decreased drug dependency, and reduced esophageal acid exposure.

Clinical course of gastroesophageal reflux disease and impact of treatment in symptomatic young patients

In symptomatic young patients with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, early identification of progressive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is critical to prevent long-term complications associated with hiatal hernia, increased esophageal acid and nonacid exposure, release of proinflammatory cytokines, and development of intestinal metaplasia, endoscopically visible Barrett's esophagus, and dysplasia leading to esophageal adenocarcinoma. Progression of GERD may occur in asymptomatic patients and in those under continuous acid-suppressive medication. The long-term side effects of proton-pump inhibitors, chemopreventive agents, and radiofrequency ablation are contentious. In patients with early-stage disease, when the lower esophageal sphincter function is still preserved and before endoscopically visible Barrett's esophagus develops, novel laparoscopic procedures, such as magnetic and electric sphincter augmentation, may have a greater role than conventional surgical therapy. A multidisciplinary approach to GERD by a dedicated team of gastroenterologists and surgeons might impact the patients' lifestyle, the therapeutic choices, and the course of the disease. Biological markers are needed to precisely assess the risk of disease progression and to tailor surveillance, ablation, and management.

Proton Pump Inhibitors and Radiofrequency Ablation for Treatment of Barrett's Esophagus

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is characterized by acid and bile reflux in the distal oesophagus, and this may cause the development of reflux esophagitis and Barrett's oesophagus (BE). The natural histological course of untreated BE is non-dysplastic or benign BE (ND), then lowgrade (LGD) and High-Grade Dysplastic (HGD) BE, with the expected increase in malignancy transfer to oesophagal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The gold standard for BE diagnostics involves high-resolution white-light endoscopy, followed by uniform endoscopy findings description (Prague classification) with biopsy performance according to Seattle protocol. The medical treatment of GERD and BE includes the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) regarding symptoms control. It is noteworthy that long-term use of PPIs increases gastrin level, which can contribute to transfer from BE to EAC, as a result of its effects on the proliferation of BE epithelium. Endoscopy treatment includes a wide range of resection and ablative techniques, such as radio-frequency ablation (RFA), often concomitantly used in everyday endoscopy practice (multimodal therapy). RFA promotes mucosal necrosis of treated oesophagal region via high-frequency energy. Laparoscopic surgery, partial or total fundoplication, is reserved for PPIs and endoscopy indolent patients or in those with progressive disease. This review aims to explain distinct effects of PPIs and RFA modalities, illuminate certain aspects of molecular mechanisms involved, as well as the effects of their concomitant use regarding the treatment of BE and prevention of its transfer to EAC.

LncRNA MNX1-AS1 promotes progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by regulating miR-34a/SIRT1 axis

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are powerful factors influencing the tumorigenesis and metastasis of multiple carcinomas. LncRNA MNX1-AS1 plays critical roles in the progression of tumor formation according to recent research, while its roles in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unknown.

METHODS

The expression levels of lncRNA MNX1-AS1 were examined in ESCC tissues by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The role of lncRNA MNX1-AS1 was performed by WST-1 proliferation assays, migration and invasion assays. Besides, the molecular mechanism of lncRNA MNX1-AS1 was verified by online bioinformatics, qRT-PCR and rescue assays.

RESULTS

MNX1-AS1 was signifcantly upregulated in ESCC tissues. It was conformed that high MNX1-AS1 expression was associated with ESCC lymph node metastasis. Moreover, we found that knockdown of MNX1-AS1 apparently suppressed the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion capacity. Flow cytometry analysis showed MNX1-AS1 regulated ESCC cell cycle and apoptosis progression. Mechanism analysis revealed that miR-34a inhibitor could rescue the influence of inhibiting MNX1-AS1 on ESCC cells migration by serving as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNAs). Furthermore, we found that miR-34a specifically targeted SIRTI.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, we demonstrated that lncRNA MNX1-AS1/miR-34a/SIRT1 regulatory axis could play an important role in ESCC progression, and MNX1-AS1 may act as a novel potential biomarker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Does anti-reflux surgery disrupt the pathway of Barrett's esophagus progression to cancer?

In patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE), anti-reflux surgery aims to sustainable control reflux symptoms and heal reflux induced esophageal mucosal inflammation and prevent progression of BE to adenocarcinoma. There is growing evidence that beside gastric acid, bile salts in refluxed duodenal juice are responsible for the development and progression of BE. However, the pathogenesis of BE progression and the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence of the adenocarcinoma of the esophagus (EAC) is multifactorial and occurs over long natural time course. After anti-reflux surgery significant levels of regression from metaplastic Barrett's to non-metaplastic epithelium as well as from dysplastic to non-dysplastic BE have been observed and a randomized trial showed that sufficient surgical reflux control reduces the risk of Barrett's progression significantly when compared to medical treatment. Thus, large cohort studies show significant reduced risk of EAC in patients suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with and without BE after anti-reflux surgery. Even after anti-reflux surgery the risk for EAC remains elevated in patients with BE and the right moment of intercepting the progressive nature of GERD has to be discussed in future. The paper also addresses the impact of anti-reflux surgery, endoscopic ablation and life style therapies for the management of GERD, BE and cancer prevention.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy for Barrett's adenocarcinoma

Minimally invasive esophagectomy has become the preferred approach for invasive Barrett's adenocarcinoma because it can speed recovery and enhance patient's quality of life. Multiple minimally invasive surgical techniques have been described during the last two decades. Preoperative staging, anatomy and physiological patient's status, comorbidity, and experience of the surgical team should drive the choice of the surgical approach. The trans-thoracic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy, either hybrid or totally minimal invasive, remains the preferred approach in these patients. Lymph node yield and short-term clinical outcomes have proven similar to open surgery, while quality of life appears improved. To establish a minimally invasive esophagectomy program, a steep learning curve and a multidisciplinary approach are required in order to provide optimal staging, personalized therapy, and adequate perioperative care. The role of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of invasive Barrett's adenocarcinoma will continue to expand in synergy with enhanced recovery after surgery pathways.