Swallow a sponge to spot cancer early?
NCT ID NCT04214119
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing a simple, less invasive way to detect early signs of Barrett's esophagus, esophageal cancer, and stomach cancer. Participants swallow a capsule attached to a string, which expands into a sponge in the stomach to collect cell samples. Researchers then look for DNA changes (methylation) that could signal cancer or pre-cancer, aiming to improve early detection without a traditional scope.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 2,500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2016
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients scheduled for clinically indicated upper endoscopy will be approached to participate in this study.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1/2016 to 12/2025 * Age greater than 18 years * Patients must be able to swallow a capsule Exclusion Criteria: * Patients in either arm with extra-esophageal malignancies including head and neck and gastric cancer * Patients who have undergone esophagectomy * Patients who have undergone radiation to the chest * Patients who are younger than 18 * Patients with esophageal stents * Patients with esophageal strictures disabling passage of the capsule
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Bayview Medical Center
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States
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Johns Hopkins Hospital
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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