Gastroesophageal Junction CancerSymptoms1-3

August 2016

Symptoms of gastroesophageal junction

cancer may include:

What is gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer?Gastroesophageal junction cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues where the esophagus meets the stomach.4

The vast majority of tumors arising at the gastroesophageal junction are classified as adenocarcinomas, with the remainder predominantly categorized as squamous cell carcinomas or carcinomas not otherwise specified.4

Tumors that form in glandular cells that line the gastroesophageal junction.5

Tumors that form in squamous cells, which are flat cells found in the innermost lining of the gastroesophageal junction.5

Adenocarcinoma:

Squamous cell carcinoma:

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Diagnosis6

Diagnostic tests for gastroesophageal junction cancer include:

After a 2.5 fold increase in diagnoses from 1973-1993, the incidence of gastroesophageal junction cancer has remained stable in the U.S. over the past two decades. Reliable data on the global incidence of GEJ tumors are not available, due to the historically complicated classification system and the likelihood of misclassification.4,7

Incidence

Key Risk Factors4

• Smoking• Obesity• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

• Diet high in processed/red meats, sweets and high-fat dairy

Fact Sheet

UNEXPLAINEDWEIGHT LOSS

CHEST PAIN, PRESSURE

OR BURNING

COUGHING ORHOARSENESS

DIFFICULTYSWALLOWING

Esophagus

Gastroesophageal junctionStomach

• Endoscopy • Ultrasound • Laparoscopy

• CT scan • PET-CT scan

• Surgery • Radiation therapy

Current treatment options for gastroesophageal junction cancer may include: 8-10

Treatment

• Chemotherapy • Targeted therapy

US-AVL-0716-0009

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Need for Further ResearchDespite advances in the field of gastroesophageal junction cancers, there is no cure for patients with cancer that has spread.11 The prognosis for gastroesophageal junction cancer is poor and worsens as it advances.2 There is a clear unmet medical need for new treatment options. To learn more about current clinical trials in gastroesophageal junction cancers, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov and search for 'gastroesophageal cancer.'

August 2016

References1. Discovery Medicine. Gastroesophageal Cancer: Focus on Epidemiology, Classification, and Staging. Available from: http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Amikar-Seh-

dev/2013/08/26/gastroesophageal-cancer-focus-on-epidemiology-classification-and-staging/. Accessed July 2016.2. NCBI Bookshelf. Carcinoma of the esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK6982. Accessed May 2016.3. Levine MS et al. Carcinoma of the Esophagus and Esophagogastric Junction: Sensitivity of Radiographic Diagnosis. American Journal of Roentgenolo-

gy;1997;168:1423-1426.4. Buas MF and Vaughan TL. Epidemiology and risk factors for gastroesophageal junction tumors: understanding the rising incidence of this disease. Semin Radiat

Oncol 2013;23 (1):3-9, 2013.5. American Cancer Society. What is cancer of the esophagus? Available at: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/esophaguscancer/detailed-

guide/esophagus-cancer-what-is-cancer-of-the-esophagus. Last accessed July 2016.6. Cancer Research UK. Gastro oesophageal junction cancers. Available from: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-gener-

al/cancer-questions/how-is-gastro-oesophageal-junction-cancer-treated. Accessed July 2016.7. Spechler SJ, Dixon MF, Genta R, et al. Adenocarcinoma of the oesophago-gastric junction. WHO Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of the Digestive System 2010.

Available from: http://www.iarc.fr/en/publications/pdfs-online/pat-gen/bb2/. Accessed May 2016.8. Cunningham D, Allum WH, Stenning SP, et al. Perioperative chemotherapy versus surgery alone for resectable gastroesophageal cancer. New Eng J Med

2006;355(1):11-22.9. Macdonald JS, Smalley SR, Benedetti J, et al. Chemoradiotherapy after surgery compared with surgery alone for adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophage

al junction. N Eng J Med 2001;345(10):725-730.10. Gee DW and Rattner DW: Management of gastroesophageal tumors. Oncologist 2007;12:175- 185.11. Cancer Research UK. About advanced cancer. Available from: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/oesopha-

geal-cancer/treatment/advanced/what-is-advanced-oesophageal-cancer. Accessed May 2016.

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Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer Fact Sheet