SWALLOWING SPONGE ON A STRING COULD REPLACE ENDOSCOPY AS PRE CANCER TEST
Swallowing a sponge on
a string could replace traditional endoscopy as an equally effective but less
invasive way of diagnosing a condition that can be a forerunner of esophageal
cancer.
The results of a
Cancer Research UK trial involving more than 1,000 people are being presented
at the National Cancer Research Institute's annual conference in Liverpool.
The trial invited more
than 600 patients with Barrett's Esophagus -- a condition that can sometimes
lead to esophageal cancer -- to swallow the Cytosponge and to undergo an
endoscopy. Almost 500 more people with symptoms like reflux and persistent
heartburn did the same tests.
The Cytosponge proved
to be a very accurate way of diagnosing Barrett's Esophagus. More than 94 per
cent of people swallowed the sponge and reported no serious side effects.
Patients who were not sedated for endoscopy were more likely to rate the
Cytosponge as a preferable experience.
Lead author Professor
Rebecca Fitzgerald, based at the MRC Cancer Unit at the University of
Cambridge, said: "The Cytosponge test is safe, acceptable and has very
good accuracy for diagnosing Barrett's Esophagus. It should be considered as an
alternative to endoscopy for diagnosing the condition and could possibly be
used as a screening test in primary care."
Barrett's Esophagus is
caused by acid coming back up the food pipe from the stomach -- known as acid
reflux -- which can cause symptoms like indigestion and heartburn. Over time
people with these symptoms may develop changes in the cells that line the
esophagus. These cells can become cancerous and so patients with Barrett's
Esophagus are tested every couple of years.
Barrett's Esophagus is
usually diagnosed by having a biopsy during an endoscopy. This can be
uncomfortable and carries some risks -- and it's not always practical for
everyone who has symptoms like reflux and heartburn.
Esophageal cancer is
the thirteenth most common cancer in the UK. Around 5,600 men develop the
disease each year compared with 2,750 women. And each year around 5,200 men and
2,460 women die from the disease.
Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer
Research UK's head of health information, said: "These results are very
encouraging and it will be good news if such a simple and cheap test can
replace endoscopy for Barrett's esophagus.
"Death rates are
unacceptably high in esophageal cancer so early diagnosis is vital. Tackling
esophageal cancer is a priority for Cancer Research UK and research such as
this will help doctors to diagnose people who are at risk quickly and
easily."
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