Episode #56: Preventing Progression from Barrett’s Esophagus to Cancer (how patient risk can be stratified to help save lives)

Gastro Broadcast

For Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Naresh Gunaratnam speaks with Dr. Srinadh Komanduri, associate chief of gastroenterology and hepatology and director of endoscopy at Northwestern Medicine, about efforts to educate the public about esophageal cancer and cutting-edge tools that are helping gastroenterologists determine which of their patients are at greatest risk of developing esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer is preventable if high-risk patients, such as those with Barrett's Esophagus, are treated with endoscopic eradication therapy to eliminate the Barrett’s tissue. Endoscopic eradication therapy is highly effective, but the challenge is identifying the high-risk patients to treat and the low-risk patients for whom long-interval surveillance may be appropriate. The Barrett's Esophagus surveillance program at Northwestern includes the TissueCypher test, which provides Dr. Komanduri and his colleagues with a personalized prediction of cancer progression risk based on molecular biomarkers that cannot be measured by traditional pathology. Join Dr. Gunaratnam and Dr. Komanduri to hear how gastroenterologists and pathologists can better identify patients who are most at-risk and provide the appropriate care to help prevent them from developing esophageal cancer. Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis Gastro Broadcast, Episode 56