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23
Mar 2021
London hospital becomes world-first to use ‘sponge on a string’ to detect oesophageal cancer
University College London Hospital has become the first in the world to use a ‘sponge on a string’ to detect oesophageal cancer in a Covid-safe way, allowing the collection of cell samples from the food pipe without the need for sedation, a biopsy or an endoscopy.
Endoscopies, involving a thin tube containing a light and camera being passed into the body, were suspended during the pandemic because they can cause the virus to be sprayed into the air.
However, the London hospital continued to assess patients by switching to the pioneering Cytosponge method, which will now be the hospital’s usual standard of care after proving to be faster, cheaper and more effective at detecting the disease.
NHS England and NHS Scotland are planning to roll the method out later this year.
The new Cytosponge is the size of a multivitamin tablet and can be swallowed with ease, and without the need for sedation or a specialised endoscopy suite. It is given to patients as a pill attached to a string, which is held while the pill is swallowed with water.
Once the pill reaches the stomach, it dissolves within a few minutes, releasing the sponge, which is then gently pulled out by a nurse. As it is removed, it collects cells from along the entire length of the oesophagus, with 365 degree coverage.
Professor Marcel Levi, chief executive of the trust, said “UCLH has adapted quickly to implement screening with Cytosponge.
“We are so proud of the innovative thinking of the team who have worked together to modify care for our patients in such a clever way.
“It is cost and resource-efficient compared to routine endoscopy, and non-aerosol generating which is helpful to manage risk during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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