The “cytosponge,” as it has been nicknamed, is used to collect cells from a person’s stomach. The cells are then used to test for a condition called Barrett’s esophagus, which develops into esophageal cancer 10% of the time.
This procedure is effective 90% of the time and removes the need for the former surgical method, which was invasive and fairly risky. This test is so simple and inexpensive that it can potentially be developed into a self-administered testing method.
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