A quick and simple test to detect early signs of oesophageal cancer is being rolled out in high street pharmacies across England. This is a new NHS pilot aimed at diagnosing cancer earlier and reducing health inequalities – in line with the recent 10 Year Plan.
Oesophageal cancer is often diagnosed too late due to long NHS waiting times for endoscopy, the current diagnostic test. Early detection is vital to improve outcomes and help the NHS meet its ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at an early stage.
The new ‘sponge-on-a-string’ test involves patients swallowing a small capsule attached to a string. Once in the stomach, the capsule expands into a sponge, which is gently pulled back up to collect cells from the throat for testing. The whole process takes just 10 minutes and can detect Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition caused by long-term acid reflux that can lead to oesophageal cancer.
The NHS is working with Boots and the diagnostics company Cyted Health to run the two-year pilot, alongside Heartburn Cancer UK, across London and the East Midlands. As the evaluation partners on this project and will be assessing the effectiveness of this test at the end of the two years.
Marcel Gehrung, Co-founder and CEO of Cyted Health, said:
Too many people don’t realise that persistent heartburn and chronic reflux can be warning signs of something more serious and that lack of awareness is costing lives. A capsule sponge test can detect conditions of the oesophagus early, before it’s too late. We’re proud to support this NHS pilot, bringing life-saving testing closer to the community, making it easier for more people to get checked, helping prevent avoidable deaths.
The test will be offered in pharmacies, by speaking to walk-in customers, using staff referrals for people with long-term reflux symptoms, and through Boots loyalty card data to identify those who regularly buy reflux medication. High-risk groups, who may not access regular healthcare, will also be offered testing in convenient, accessible locations like community diagnostic centres or trusted local health providers.
Chris Laing, CEO of UCLPartners said:
It is great to see innovations like Cyted being tested across London. We need diagnostics to move into the community and meet people where they are. We are excited to be evaluating this work and supporting innovations that are addressing health inequalities.
Ali Malik, Managing Director, North Central London Cancer Alliance said:
We are committed to harnessing innovation and technology to improve early cancer diagnosis and tackle health inequalities. We’re thrilled to be working on a project that represents a bold step forward and is a great example of what we are achieving by collaborating with partners in different sectors. By working across diverse healthcare settings – including community pharmacies and diagnostic centres – this initiative is uniquely positioned to reach underserved communities and make a real difference.