A recent study on HER2 status in gastric cancer showed high concordance rates between primary and metastatic sites. Of 68 cases, only one case of HER2 negative gastric cancer showed HER2 positivity in a metastatic site. One possible explanation for the differences in rates of concordance between breast and

GE carcinoma could be the biological differences between these two tumor types (12). Another potential explanation Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical could be that the tumor biology can be heterogeneous and the systemic therapy has variable impact on selection and progression among tumor clones depending on their characteristics (13). Our case illustrates this unique biological phenomenon. The primary biopsy was studied retrospectively after the metastatic site tested positive for HER2 amplification. Interestingly, reexamination revealed heterogeneity of the HER2 status with both positive and negative clones detected. It is possible that a HER2 positive clone metastasized Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and progressed in spite of the systemic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical treatment.

In the future, increasingly effective therapies will have greater potential for exerting selective pressure on the clones of gastroesophageal cancer. Improved understanding of the metastatic disease, in particular, the status of important biological markers, will provide invaluable prognostic and predictive information and subsequently direct therapeutic options. In selleck summary, we report a case of esophageal adenocarcinoma with an extremely aggressive clinical course. Repeat biopsy and HER2 testing led to a better

understanding of its biological Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical heterogeneity. In selected cases, it may be advisable to perform a rebiopsy and a retest for the HER2 status in order Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to direct further therapy. Acknowledgements Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimated 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer and nearly 50,000 colorectal cancer deaths for 2011 (1). With a disease affecting so many lives, there has been a substantial interest in its pathology. Of all the characteristics of the disease examined, lymph node status is the most significant predictor for determining patient http://www.selleckchem.com/products/Imatinib(STI571).html survival Drug_discovery in patients with colorectal cancer (2-4). Recently, multiple studies have correlated improved survival with increasing number of retrieved lymph nodes (5-10). These improved outcomes were originally attributed to better staging, which subsequently lead to better treatment with chemotherapy. However, a number of more recent studies have challenged this hypothesis (11,12). A review of the literature reveals conflicting information.