Clinical issues in oesophageal adenocarcinoma: could DNA copy number hold the key?

While not being considered a common cancer, since 1975 oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) has had the fastest-rising incidence of any malignancy in Caucasian Western populations. In the absence of major improvements in treatment since this rise began, the number of deaths has also increased rapidly. In contrast, there have been significant advances in basic science in this period. One such advance is the discovery of DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs), and their potential role in carcinogenesis. The study of CNAs offers the potential to answer fundamental clinical questions in OAC, which in turn may lead to improved diagnosis, staging and treatment. This review outlines current clinical dilemmas in OAC, discusses the role that CNAs have been shown to play to date and highlights potential future applications.