It is often hard to diagnose esophageal cancer in the early stages because the symptoms can be non-specific - including weight loss, a feeling of pressure as food goes down, and difficulty in swallowing, as well as acid indigestion. Now researchers at University College, London, have developed a new test that looks for a protein found in the fluid of the esophagus. The protein is called Mcm5 and it is a marker of the uncontrolled cell growth that occurs in cancer.
In this study, 40 patients were tested - of whom half did have esophageal cancer and half did not. The test was 85 per cent accurate in distinguishing between them. As the test is chemical in nature, it could be automated allowing screening of large numbers of people for esophageal changes that might precede cancer. If large scale trials confirm its effectiveness, then the test could be in widespread use within five years.
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A new screening test for esophageal cancer could improve the currently poor survival rates from the disease.