The "cytosponge" era in cancer

Medical professionals in the United Kingdom have developed a new treatment method that will offer hope for esophageal cancers.

A cancer institute was recently opened at the University of Cambridge. The Early Cancer Institute focuses on finding ways to combat tumors before they produce symptoms.

The research will leverage recent discoveries showing that many people develop pre-cancerous conditions that remain dormant for a long time.

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, the director of the institute, said, "Cancer can take years to develop before it suddenly presents itself to patients. Sometimes it can take ten or twenty years."

The "cytosponge," a sponge attached to a string developed by Fitzgerald and her team, offers the possibility of early diagnosis.

SWALLOWED LIKE A PILL

This sponge is swallowed like a pill, expands in the stomach into a sponge, and is then pulled back up the esophagus, collecting esophageal cancer cells.

Cells containing a protein called "TFF3," which is found only in pre-cancerous cells, provide an early warning that the patient is at risk for esophageal cancer and should be monitored.

Most importantly, this test is simple and can be applied on a large scale.

'WE CURRENTLY DIAGNOSE MANY CANCERS TOO LATE'

Fitzgerald added that this contradicts current approaches to other cancers, stating, "We currently diagnose many cancers too late and are forced to use increasingly expensive drugs. Often, we are extending life by a few weeks at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds. We need to look at this from a different perspective."

Cancer cells grow in stages, and it should be possible to prevent their development by identifying those who have these cells.

The key point is that at this early stage, there is time for doctors to take action and prevent having to deal with the cancer at a late stage when it has spread.

Identifying those at risk of cancer (for example, people from families with a hereditary predisposition to tumors) forms an important part of the institute's strategy.

News Source: 12punto