New Diagnostic Test Follows Footsteps Leading to Esophageal Cancer

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

Frequent acid reflux, if left untreated, damages esaphageal cells and may lead to Barrett’s esophagus, a potential precursor of esophageal cancer. However, most patients with Barrett’s esophagus will not progress to esophageal cancer.


According to a study published in Nature Genetics, the discovery of a gene mutation that marks the pathway from a relatively harmless esophageal condition to cancer can lead to the development of a diagnostic test for patients with Barrett’s esophagus.


Study author Rebecca Fitzgerald and researchers mapped out the genetic similarities and differences between patients with Barrett’s esophagus and patients with esophageal cancer. Through this process, researchers discovered mutations in the gene TP53.


They developed a sponge-on-a-string test, also called the Cytosponge test, in which a patient swallows a capsule attached to a piece of thread. Once the capsule reaches the stomach, it dissolves to reveal a sponge underneath. Then a nurse uses the string to pull the sponge out to collect cells from the esophagus.


Fitzgerald said she hopes the Cytosponge test will be routinely available in hospitals in the near future. This will allow patients to be diagnosed at early stages of the disease, where treatment has a greater chance of being effective. Currently, even Barrett’s esophagus is widely undiagnosed.