Episode 2

Uncle Pat visits with his GI

Dr. Caitlin Houghton is a foregut surgeon, and her clinical focus is surgically treating issues of the esophagus and stomach. After hearing that her Uncle Pat had received a diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus, Dr. Houghton wanted to help him through a journey to understand his condition and what the best treatment options would be.

In this episode

  • Uncle Pat learns that he has a hiatal hernia and long-segment, non-dysplastic Barrett's esophagus.
  • Dr. Appannagari introduces TissueCypher, a test that can provide a personalized risk score for an individual's chance of progression to high-grade dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma. 
  • We learn that Uncle Pat's TissueCypher score was low, meaning he is unlikely to progress to esophageal cancer in the next five years.
  • Based on Uncle Pat's symptoms, endoscopy results, and TissueCypher risk score, Dr. Appannagari recommends a surveillance endoscopy every three years and medication to control the acid reflux.

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Dr. Caitlin Houghton serves as a Key Opinion Leader for Castle Biosciences, which has sponsored development of this video series.