Etiology and prognosis of gastric and esophageal cancer explored
The focus of Isabella Ekheden's thesis is on gastric and esophageal cancer – gastroesophageal cancers - that are some of the most fatal malignancies in the world. Understanding the cause of these diseases is key to interventions such as primary prevention and/or surveillance with the potential of lowering the disease burden.
Only one in three gastric cancer patients and one in six esophageal cancer patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. The prognosis is considerably improved if the tumor can be surgically removed, but 70-80% of the patients are not eligible for surgery due to advanced spread of the disease at diagnosis.
Both curable and non-curable gastroesophageal cancer patients may be treated with chemotherapy – but reports about the survival outcome from real-world patients based on the treatment they receive, are very scarce. In this thesis, Isabella explored important biological determinants for gastroesophageal cancers to encourage further research on their etiology. The thesis also includes a follow-up study on the survival of gastroesophageal cancer patients who were treated with various chemotherapy regimens to determine their effectiveness in a realworld setting.
On June 12, Isabella will defend her thesis “Etiology and prognosis of gastroesophageal cancers". Her opponent is Professor Peter Malfertheiner from Otto v. Guericke Universitetet Magdeburg. Isabella's supervisors are Weimin Ye, Olof Nyrén, Amelie Plymoth and Pauline Raaschou.
Time: 09:00
Location: Lecture hall Atrium, Nobels väg 12B, Karolinska Institutet, Solna
Join by Zoom: https://ki-se.zoom.us/j/8440396687?pwd=d0lZYTZlZDdhRFM5NG9vSEJtNGlxUT09
Read the thesis in KI's open archive.