invasive test, known as an endoscopy, that also requires sedation. According to the researchers, this prevents some people from being screened for the condition.
Screening with the new device could one day change that, the authors of the new study suggest.
“Our goal is early detection,” Dr. Amitabh Chak, a professor of medicine and researcher at Case Western Reserve Medical School in Cleveland, said in a university news release.
“Symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus, such as heartburn, can also be commonly seen in individuals who have acid reflux disease without Barrett’s esophagus. These symptoms can easily be treated by over-the-counter medications so people often don’t get tested for Barrett’s esophagus, particularly by an invasive test such as endoscopy,” Chak explained.
This has meant that about 95 percent of the time, people haven’t known they had Barrett’s esophagus until diagnosed with cancer, he said.
To address this issue, the researchers developed the swallowable device. Using it to test for