Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41439274›Full record

ArticleGut microbes2026

A machine-learning informed circulating microbial DNA signature for early diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Yuan Li, Caiming Xu, Hyun Park, Ashten N Omstead, Muhammad Anees, Chris Sherry, Alisha F Khan, Erin Grayhack, Benny Weksler, Patrick Wagner and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Gut microbes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Yuan LiDepartment of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Biomedical Research Center, Monrovia, California, USA.
Caiming XuDepartment of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Biomedical Research Center, Monrovia, California, USA.
Hyun ParkAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Ashten N OmsteadAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Muhammad AneesAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Chris SherryAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Alisha F KhanAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Erin GrayhackAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Benny WekslerDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Patrick WagnerAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
David L BartlettAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Stephen J MeltzerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Ali H ZaidiAllegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Ajay GoelDepartment of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Biomedical Research Center, Monrovia, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1396-6341

Funding

Noncoding RNA Biomarkers for Noninvasive and Early Detection of Pancreatic CancerU01CA214254 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI Ajay Goel, DANIEL D VON HOFF · 2017 to 2026
$8.9M
The Biology and Diagnosis of HNPCCR01CA072851 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO · PI GOEL, AJAY · 1996 to 2019
$6.6M
Exosomal biomarkers for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinomaR01CA271443 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI Ajay Goel · 2023 to 2026
$2.9M
Aspirin and Cancer Prevention in Lynch Syndrome: From Cell to Population DataU01CA187956 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI GOEL, AJAY, WODARZ, DOMINIK F · 2014 to 2018
$2.7M
MicroRNA Biomarkers for Determining Treatment Response in Colorectal CancerR01CA202797 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI GOEL, AJAY · 2016 to 2020
$1.9M
Development of microRNA Biomarkers For Noninvasive Detection of Colorectal CancerR01CA184792 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI GOEL, AJAY · 2015 to 2019
$1.8M
METHYLATION BIOMARKER DEVELOPMENT FOR NONINVASIVE DETECTION OF COLORECTAL CANCERR01CA181572 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI GOEL, AJAY · 2014 to 2018
$1.6M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA072851NCI NIH HHS R01 CA181572NCI NIH HHS R01 CA184792NCI NIH HHS R01 CA202797NCI NIH HHS R01 CA271443NCI NIH HHS U01 CA187956NCI NIH HHS U01 CA214254
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has seen a dramatic rise in incidence in developed countries over the past three decades. Early detection of its precursors-gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus (BE), and high-grade dysplasia (HGD) is critical for cancer prevention. This study presents the development and validation of a novel liquid biopsy assay based on circulating microbial DNA (cmDNA) for the early detection of EAC and HGD. Using metagenomic sequencing, we identified significant differences in microbial diversity and composition between EAC and HGD patients, as well as between BE and GERD patients. A total of 46 microbial candidates in tissue and 419 in serum were upregulated in EAC & HGD, with 11 consistently elevated in both sample types. Following qRT-PCR validation and LASSO regression, a 6-marker cmDNA panel was selected. This signature was incorporated into a diagnostic model trained with the XGBoost algorithm, achieving an AUC of 0.93 in the training cohort (52 HGD & EAC cases vs. 54 BE & GERD controls). Importantly, the model demonstrated robust performance in an independent testing cohort (23 HGD & EAC cases vs. 22 BE & GERD controls), yielding AUCs of 0.91 for EAC and 0.88 for HGD. These findings highlight the diagnostic potential of cmDNA-based profiling and support its utility as a minimally invasive, accurate, and generalizable tool for early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Indexed as

AdenocarcinomaCell-Free Nucleic AcidsDNA, BacterialEarly Detection of CancerEsophageal NeoplasmsMachine LearningAgedBacteriaBarrett EsophagusBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGastroesophageal RefluxHumansLiquid BiopsyMaleMetagenomicsBiomarkers, TumorCell-Free Nucleic AcidsDNA, Bacterialaarly diagnostic biomarkerBarrett's esophaguscirculating microbiome DNAEsophageal adenocarcinomaXGBoost algorithm

Identifiers

PMID41439274
PMCPMC12758224

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.