Pill-Sized Swallowable Camera Can Help Detect Esophagus Cancer

New device improves current diagnosing process

A new pill-sized 3D camera that can be swallowed and then offer a view of a patient's esophagus has been invented by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The new tool can help detect esophageal cancer as it gives doctors the ability to diagnosis abnormal growth patterns in esophageal tissue, which are potentially a precursor to cancer. Esophageal cancer often goes undiagnosed because it causes minor or nonexistent symptoms, and because the procedure required to identify it is invasive, expensive and uncomfortable. Currently, doctors must sedate a patient, insert a long, flexible camera down the esophagus, and then cut off a small piece of tissue for analysis in a laboratory. The new endomicroscope device looks like a penny-sized, clear plastic pill, attached to a long piano wire that runs to a computer console and can be taken with a cup of water. (Nature)

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