Camera Pill Captures Early Signs of Esophageal Cancer
Scientists at the University of Washington have developed a tiny, inexpensive camera small enough to be placed inside a pill and swallowed. The new technology could allow doctors to easily spot signs of early esophageal cancer — without the use of sedation.
Thanks to increased awareness and better diagnostic tools, rates for many cancers in the United States have recently begun to drop, yet the incidence of esophageal cancer has more than tripled in this country over the last 30 years.
Experts point out that many of these cancers are avoidable since noticeable changes usually occur in the digestive tract lining before esophageal cancer develops. This precancerous condition is treatable if detected early but, existing screening methods used to find these early warning signs are expensive so it often goes untreated until the damaged cells develop into cancer and begin to spread.
To help promote earlier detection, the University of Washington team — which consisted of gastroenterologists, engineers, and computer scientists — developed a new pill-sized fiber optic endoscope on a tether.
Traditional endoscopes travel into the colon or throat on a flexible cord measuring 9mm, but UW’s tether cord measures 1.4 mm so patients can easily swallow the devise without needing anesthesia.
According to UW, other groups are developing wireless encapsulated cameras for esophageal cancer screening, but the wireless feature means there’s no control over the pill once it’s been swallowed. UW’s says its tethered version allows doctors to move the camera up or down so they can study the digestive tract more thoroughly.
UW’s device produces 15 two-dimensional color pictures per second at a resolution exceeding 100 microns per inch. While that resolution is not as high as traditional endoscopes offer, it does keep the camera’s size and cost small, making screening accessible to more patients. As the study’s lead author and the camera’s first human volunteer said,
“The procedure is so easy I could imagine it being done in a shopping mall.”
Eric Seibel, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
University of Washington
Results on the camera’s first use in a human are scheduled to be published in an upcoming issue of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.
Source: UWnews.org
Related Links: United Press International; ScienceDaily; Telegraph.co.uk
Related Video: Barrett’s Esophagus from the Medical University of South Carolina
Technorati Tags: medical devices; gastrointestinal cancers; University of Washington College of Engineering; Seattle, WA; GERD; acid reflux disease
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