| Summary: | Introduction: Gastric and esophageal cancers are among the deadliest forms of cancer. Studies of human cancer susceptibility examine factors associated with the incidence of disease. Studies of human cancer prognosis and prediction examine factors associated with disease outcomes. This dissertation is about molecular and other factors that affect survival of gastric and esophageal cancer patients. Methods: Population-based registry data linked with patient outcome data was used to describe the epidemiology of gastric and esophageal cancers in BC; to compare survival of cancer patients in BC, and Ardabil, Iran and to describe differences in survival of BC patients of different ethnicity. The ethnicity of patients was determined based on lists of names corresponding to each ethnic group. A prospective cohort study was conducted to examine the effect of genetic polymorphisms in TIMP (1-4) and MMP (2, 7 and 9) genes. Results: Analysis of cancer registry data points to several factors associated with gastric and esophageal cancer survival. Patients with gastric cardia experience worse survival compared to other gastric cancers. Ethnicity of gastric and esophageal cancer patients is associated with their survival. Gastric and esophageal cancer patients diagnosed in British Columbia have better survival compared to those daignosed in Adabil, Iran. Genetic polymorphisms are also associated with survival. My prospective study identified 4 genetic polymorphisms at TIMP-3 associated with survival of esophageal adenocarcinoma and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). Conclusion: Besides established prognostic indicators, other factors affect survival of gastric and esophageal cancers. Differences in survival by ethnicity support the importance of ethnicity as a prognostic factor. Survival differences between BC and Ardabil are likely due to disease characteristics and patient factors, in addition to differences in healthcare systems. TIMP3 genetic polymorphisms are promising prognostic factors for adenocarcinoma of esophagus and GEJ. Modeling prognosis based on host factors, including ethnicity and genetic polymorphisms, is an emerging field of translational cancer research. More research is needed to fully explore the functional effects of TIMP3 polymorphisms, and to identify both genetic and lifestyle factors underlying the effect ethnicity on survival. === Medicine, Faculty of === Graduate
|
|---|
