Molecular markers and staging of early esophageal cancer

Patients with early esophageal cancer experience varying clinical outcomes despite identical tumor staging by standard diagnostic methods because clinical and histopathological staging fail to reveal the underlying complex biology of cancer. This review discusses some of the current concepts of molecular staging with the potential to enhance the current staging methods of patients with early esophageal cancer. Understanding the molecular biology of esophageal cancer has increased substantially, and clinicians anticipate the translation of the gained knowledge into patient care. Numerous molecular techniques are potentially available for analyzing biological aspects of the individual tumor for improved staging.