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'Sponge on a string' could prevent deadly cancer
A sponge on a piece of string could help prevent one of the deadliest cancers, it was claimed today.
The "Cytosponge" provides a better way of identifying a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett's oesophagus.
The condition can occur in people with a long history of heartburn. It is the main risk factor for oesophageal cancer, which affects the gullet connecting the mouth to the stomach.
Once diagnosed, patients with the cancer have only a one in 10 chance of surviving five years.
Using the Cytosponge could help doctors spot the warning signs of oesophageal cancer early and save lives, researchers believe.
The device is a swallowable capsule attached to a length of string which expands in the stomach into a three centimetre-wide sponge-like mesh.
Five minutes after being swallowed it is removed through the mouth by pulling on the string, the scientists reported in the British Medical Journal.
The sponge collects cells which are analysed in a laboratory for signs of the tissue changes typical of Barrett's oesophagus.
In a test of the device, doctors assessed 500 patients between the ages of 50 and 70 and found 3% had the condition.
Dr Rebecca Fitzgerald, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cancer Cell Unit in Cambridge, said: "The UK has the highest level of this form of oesophageal cancer in Europe, and cases in the western world have risen rapidly over the past twenty years.
"As oesophageal cancer carries such a bleak prognosis for patients, it has become more and more obvious that a safe, minimally invasive and easily administered method of diagnosis for Barrett's oesophagus is urgently needed.
"We developed the Cytosponge coupled with a molecular test at the MRC Cancer Cell Unit as a direct response to this challenge.
"We are delighted that this trial has shown that patients find this method acceptable and it is a practical screening option.
"We look forward to undertaking further studies and establishing this as the recommended screening method for patients."
An estimated 375,000 people develop Barrett's oesophagus in the UK each year.
One in 10 of these patients will go on to develop oesophageal cancer.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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