2.  A study published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association has shown that three genetic
mutations are found more often in individuals with
esophageal disorders, including esophageal cancer,
than in the rest of the population. The discovery may
make it easier for doctors to identify people at risk of
esophageal cancer and could lead to better
treatment.
Esophageal cancer has become more prevalent in
Europe and the United States since the 1970s, with
cases increasing by 350 percent. Cleveland Clinic
researchers who conducted the study looked at
three major genes that had been linked to
esophageal disorders.

3.  They analyzed 116 patients with disorders
and found that 13 of them, or 11 percent of
the sample, had mutations in those genes.
In the world of measuring how much
impact a set of genes has on a disease, 11
percent is “considered a moderate- to
high-penetrance genetic load,” according
to the researchers. They hope to follow up
on their findings with additional research
into diagnostics and risk assessment.