MILLIONS of pounds in funding has been announced for a trial that could pave the way for a ‘sponge on a string’ test to be established as a routine screening programme to detect Barrett’s oesophagus – a condition that can lead to oesophageal cancer.

Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are providing £6.4 million for testing of the Cytosponge-TFF3 pioneered by Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald and her team at the University of Cambridge.

The new trial, BEST4, will explore if the Cytosponge can prevent deaths from oesophageal cancer when offered as a screening test to people on long-term medication for heartburn – one of the most common Barrett’s oesophagus symptoms.

Researchers will also investigate if the Cytosponge, coupled with additional lab biomarker tests, can be used to monitor people already diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus instead of endoscopy, an invasive hospital procedure for which there is a major backlog caused by the pandemic.

It is anticipated the trial team will begin setting up sites in autumn, with 120,000 patients to take part over 14 years. Those involved will be randomised to different groups and a third of those will receive the Cytosponge, a quick and simple test that can be carried out by a GP.

Professor Fitzgerald will lead the trial alongside Professor Peter Sasieni and his team from King’s College London.

The BEST4 trial is an exciting opportunity to take our work on the Cytosponge-TFF3 to the next level and see whether this test not only detects more cases, but also saves lives from cancer of the oesophagus. It will be a big piece of work, but it’s timely given the push from the NHS leadership, the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and Cancer Research UK to detect cancers earlier in order to improve outcomes for patients. Professor Fitzgerald.

The Cytosponge begins as a pill on a string. It is swallowed by a patient and when it reaches the stomach the coating dissolves. This allows the pill to expand into a small sponge, about the size of a 50p coin. The sponge is pulled back out of the stomach by a nurse. As the sponge comes up it collects cells from the oesophagus for lab analysis.

“Cancer Research UK is celebrating 120 years of life-saving discoveries this year and we’re really pleased to be funding what will hopefully be the final trial before this pioneering development is established as a screening device to detect Barrett’s oesophagus.

“There are 9,200 people diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK every year and the Cytosponge will mean they can benefit from kinder treatment options if their cancer is caught at a much earlier stage, hopefully helping to boost survival rates at the same time.” Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation for Cancer Research UK

Heartburn Cancer are keen supporters of the cytosponge and have assisted in it's journey into secondary care with the implementation of our Mobile Diagnostic Unit.  There is also the opportunity to support the BEST4 project as HCUK are recruiting patients for a research study.  This study is looking for patients meeting the following criteria:

• People aged 55-79
• Have taken antacid drugs for heartburn, reflux and/or indigestion for at least six months
• People with and without a diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus 
• People who would and would not take the Cytosponge test if they were offered it.

For further information on how to sign up for this vital research please visit our news page