OBJECTIVES:
Primary
* Analyze various biological factors that can be used as markers to predict response to treatment and correlate with the signaling pathway of EGFR.
Secondary
* Establish a tissue bank to store information about the response to treatment and survival.
OUTLINE: Patients undergo endoscopy, 11 biopsies of tumor tissue, and 3 biopsies of healthy mucosa. Blood samples are also collected. Samples are analyzed for the expression of 4 receptors in the EGFR family, polymorphisms at intron 1 of the EGFR gene, and gene mutations in downstream signaling pathways.
After surgery, patients are followed every 3 months.
