Scientists from the University of Cambridge, UK, have discovered an incredibly simple method for testing esophageal cancer.
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| Patient Alan Bridge is impressed with the new testing method (photo: TTO) |
Until now, doctors typically used an endoscope with a camera to detect signs of this disease. However, this method is expensive and quite dangerous.
Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald from the Medical Research Council has invented a very simple device. It consists of a dissolvable pill attached to a string. Once the pill is swallowed into the esophagus, Dr. Fitzgerald gently pulls the string to scrape the cell layer from the patient’s esophageal wall. After that, the string and the pill are withdrawn for testing.
Alan Bridge, the first patient to undergo this new method, stated: “I didn’t feel any discomfort or pain when swallowing the pill.”
Esophageal cancer has been rapidly increasing in Western countries in recent years, claiming over seven thousand lives annually.
The incidence of esophageal cancer, characterized by an increase in acid reflux symptoms, has risen by 350% over the past two decades. This rise may be attributed to the pressures of modern, hectic, and stressful lifestyles.
KHANG LINH (According to BBC NEWS)
