Non-Invasive Testing for Early Oesophageal Cancer and Dysplasia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prediction of Gastro-Oesophageal Disease using Non-Invasive Volatile Organic Compound Analysis from Exhaled Breath and Urine
IRAS ID
239428
Contact name
George Hanna
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Oesophageal cancer is the fourth commonest cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom. . Barrett’s oesophagus is a well-known condition that increases the risk of developing oesophageal cancer. In Barrett’s oesophagus, the cells lining the inside of the oesophagus change and can transform to early cancerous cells. This is called dysplasia. Between one to five out of a hundred people with Barrett’s oesophagus will go on to develop oesophageal cancer.
Currently, people with Barrett’s oesophagus have a routine endoscopy test to ensure that there are no signs of dysplasia or cancer. This means that any dysplasia or cancer can be found early allowing more patients to be treated at early stage.
The main research question is whether the cell changes in Barrett’s oesophagus can be detected by testing the breath and urine of people with the condition. This will provide an easy and cheaper way to identify people at high risk of having dysplasia and early cancer to direct close monitoring of this cohort.Participants will be recruited when they attend for their routine endoscopy. Before their endoscopy they will be asked to undergo a breath test or urine sample. The breath test is a quick method that is non-invasive and has no associated discomfort. We aim to recruit 1000 participants across study sites.
Endoscopy used for Barrett’s surveillance costs roughly £1500. The proportion of people with Barrett’s disease that will progress to early cancer is 0.9% to 1.0%. This places a big financial burden on the National Health Service. Therefore, it is important to identify patients at risk, with the ultimate goal of targeting endoscopy towards the people at high risk of developing cancer. This will provide a more comfortable investigation for patients who are already anxious, enabling earlier diagnosis of those at risk and improving treatment success rates.
REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0780
Date of REC Opinion
9 May 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion