Current esophageal cancer screening

Each year, more than half a million people are diagnosed with esophageal cancer and 75% die within 5 years after receiving this diagnosis. One in twenty adults has a disease called Barrett’s esophagus and as a result have a higher risk of getting esophageal cancer. Therefore, people with Barrett’s esophagus undergo regular screening for esophageal cancer with conventional endoscopes (endoscopic surveillance). An estimated 900,000 of these screening procedures are performed yearly in the US and EU combined.

The current screening procedure with conventional endoscopy misses 25% of early cancer and as a result, once Barrett’s esophagus patients are diagnosed with cancer, one in ten needs major surgery and one in four dies within five years of their diagnosis. The procedure is also expensive and labor-intensive.