Arora J, Nassar M, Baraka B. Unravelling the potential of plasma DNA methylation in the detection and surveillance of esophageal cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(6): 103333 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i6.103333]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bahaaeldin Baraka, Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hucknall Rd, Nottingham NG5 1PB, United Kingdom. bahaabaraka@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jun 15, 2025; 17(6): 103333 Published online Jun 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i6.103333
Unravelling the potential of plasma DNA methylation in the detection and surveillance of esophageal cancer
Jitesh Arora, Mahmoud Nassar, Bahaaeldin Baraka
Jitesh Arora, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
Mahmoud Nassar, Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, New York, NY 14203, United States
Bahaaeldin Baraka, Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Arora J contributed to scientific writing, conducted the literature review, and revised the references; Baraka B led the project, drafted the manuscript, conducted literature review, and managed the submission process; Nassar M conceptualized the study, coordinated with team members, contributed to the literature review, and facilitated data collection. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bahaaeldin Baraka, Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hucknall Rd, Nottingham NG5 1PB, United Kingdom. bahaabaraka@gmail.com
Received: November 18, 2024 Revised: February 9, 2025 Accepted: February 19, 2025 Published online: June 15, 2025 Processing time: 210 Days and 7.1 Hours
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) continues to pose a significant clinical challenge due to the absence of a reliable early detection method, leading to late-stage diagnoses and poor patient outcomes. The recent study by Liu et al presents a promising breakthrough, demonstrating that plasma DNA methylation markers-SHOX2, SEPTIN9, EPO, and RNF180-offer a non-invasive approach for early EC detection with 76.19% sensitivity and 86.27% specificity. Given the urgent need for effective screening strategies, the potential integration of this assay into clinical practice could significantly enhance early diagnosis, patient monitoring, and overall survival rates. While further validation is necessary, this advancement marks an important step toward improving EC detection and management.
Core Tip: Esophageal cancer (EC) lacks a reliable early detection method, leading to high rates of late-stage diagnosis and poor prognosis. This study explores the use of plasma DNA methylation markers-SHOX2, SEPTIN9, EPO, and RNF180-as a non-invasive tool for early EC screening and surveillance. Demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity, this methylation panel holds promise for improving diagnostic accuracy and patient monitoring. Despite some limitations, this innovative approach could significantly impact clinical practices, offering a transformative solution to enhance early detection, reduce mortality, and improve quality of life for EC patients.
