08-07-2025
Ten-minute NHS cancer test to be offered to Brits in high street pharmacies – are you eligible?
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AN NHS 'sponge-on-a-string' cancer test will be rolled out in high street pharmacies for the first time.
Taking just ten minutes, the test will help spot oesophageal cancer in its early stages.
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A new test to spot oesophageal cancer will be rolled out in pharmacies early next year
Credit: LIAM CURTIN
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It involves swallowing a pill on a thread to test the food pipe for cancerous cells
Credit: LIAM CURTIN
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NHSE says it will help spot the 'brutal' cancer earlier
Credit: LIAM CURTIN
Dozens of Boots pharmacies in England will test patients who regularly use over-the-counter medications to ease heartburn or acid reflux.
The 'heartburn health checks' will be trialled from early next year, NHS England announced.
The sponge test can help spot if heartburn is a sign of a more serious problem called Barrett's oesophagus, a precursor to oesophageal cancer.
The test involves patients swallowing a small pill on a thread, which expands into a penny-sized sponge when it reaches the stomach.
After a few minutes, it's safely pulled out to collect cells from the lining of the oesophagus, which are tested for pre-cancerous changes in the lab.
Cells lining the food pipe are normally flat, but they become more like the column-shaped cells in the lining of the stomach and bowel when Barrett's oesophagus develops.
If pre-cancerous cells are found, people can have the cells removed through endoscopy or a procedure known as radiofrequency ablation.
The sponge test is already used in hospitals and community diagnostic centres in place of invasive endoscopies - where a thin, flexible tube with a camera is inserted into the oesophagus.
The NHS is now trialling rollout in dozens of Boots pharmacies in the hopes of making early diagnosis more convenient and accessible to patients.
Patients can choose to be tested for the cancer while they shop, NHSE suggested, after pharmacists approach patients who often buy heartburn or acid reflux medications but haven't come forward to their GP.
Check your risk of one of the most common cancers in the UK with a simple 45-second test
Around 1,500 people in London and the East Midlands will be offered the test in a pharmacy or be referred to a clinic in their area.
Health officials say offering the test in pharmacies could help shift care from hospitals to the community - a major tenet of the Government's 10-Year Health Plan published earlier this month.
Prof Peter Johnson, NHS national cancer director said: "This new pilot brings a convenient test to where people shop, making it easier than ever for patients to check signs and symptoms that might be worrying them.
"For the majority of people with persistent reflux, these quick and easy heartburn health checks will provide peace of mind that you aren't at increased risk of cancer.
"For those who do find out they have Barret's oesophagus, regular follow-up checks will be put in place so any further cell changes can be spotted early.'
Minister for public health and prevention Ashley Dalton, added: "With more than 8,000 people diagnosed with late-stage oesophageal cancer each year, being able to spot the warning signs using a 10-minute test in a local pharmacy — before cancer has even taken hold — will be a game-changer."
The pilot will run for two years, followed by an independent evaluation that will decide whether to make the test more widely available.
The test is made by diagnostics company Cyted Health.
The warning signs of oesophageal cancer
OESOPHAGEAL cancer is a cancer of the food pipe.
It affects 9,400 people in the UK every year, and most people are over the age of 60.
Smoking increases your risk of the disease, as does being overweight, drinking alcohol and having conditions like Barrett's oesophagus, where the cells lining your oesophagus have become abnormal.
Only 12 per cent of patients survive for 10 or more years after being diagnosed.
There are around 8,000 oesophageal cancer deaths in the UK every year - or 22 every day.
Early diagnosis is key, so recognising the symptoms is vital. The most common include: Difficulty swallowing
Unexplained weight loss
Indigestion or heartburn that doesn't go away
Pain in the throat or behind the breastbone
But some people also experience a cough, hoarseness, dark poo, tiredness and food coming back up after swallowing.
Source: Cancer Research UK
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The pill remains intact until it reaches the stomach
Credit: LIAM CURTIN
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There, it will expand into a penny-sized sponge
Credit: LIAM CURTIN
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The sponge will pick up cells as it's pulled out after a few minutes
Credit: LIAM CURTIN
Can heartburn be a sign of cancer?
Acid reflux affects around two in ten people, so it's pretty common.
It can be brought on by spicy and fatty foods, coffee and booze, as well as smoking and some medicines.
It's also more common if you're overweight, stressed or anxious, or pregnant.
Persistent symptoms can be a sign of the pre-cancerous Barrett's oesophagus.
Eddie, 77, from Suffolk credits the sponge on a string test with potentially saving his life after suffering from heartburn for most of his life.
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Eddie's cancer was picked up with the sponge-on-a-thread test
Credit: NHSE
'It used to wake me up at night, but I always thought it was just one of those things," he said.
"To think that something as simple as swallowing a capsule could uncover a hidden risk is truly remarkable.
"I am now able to get targeted treatment to stop my condition progressing to cancer, rather than finding out when it's too late.
"This never would have been caught if it wasn't for capsule sponge testing.
"This test gave me peace of mind and access to early treatment and could mean the difference between life and death for so many others.'
'Brutal disease'
There are almost 10,000 patients diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK each year, but 80 per cent are diagnosed at a late stage.
Only 20 per cent of patients survive the year, so the key to saving lives is early diagnosis.
Cancer of the oesophagus is more common in older people and men. Smoking, drinking alcohol and obesity can increase that risk.
Mimi McCord, founder and chairman of Heartburn Cancer UK said: "Oesophageal cancer can be a brutal disease.
"It hides in plain sight and when it takes hold, it doesn't hang around before it kills.
"Catching it early - or when it's a pre-cancerous condition – is the best chance people have of survival.
"People who regularly self-medicate often fall below the radar of the GP system.
"Lives will be saved by more people being made aware of the signs and symptoms to look out for and having quick, simple and easily accessible tests in pharmacies."
