Pill-Sized camera could spot esophagus cancer risk during routine checkups
NCT ID NCT04561791
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing a new, less invasive way to screen for Barrett's esophagus, a condition that can lead to esophageal cancer. Participants swallow a small capsule attached to a thin string, which takes pictures of the esophagus. The goal is to see if this method is comfortable and effective enough to be used in regular doctor visits, potentially catching the condition earlier.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Tethered Capsule Endomicroscopy device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a simple, office-based screening tool for Barrett's esophagus, potentially catching it earlier without the need for a traditional endoscopy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early feasibility study with only 650 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The device may be uncomfortable or miss some cases, and it is not yet proven as a standard screening method.
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.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 650 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2019
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
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.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- 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: * Participants registered as patients at the Assembly Row primary care practice, MGH Broadway Primary Care - Revere, or Pentucket Medical Associates * 18 years or older * Able to give informed consent * Participants must have no food for 1 hour before the procedure Exclusion Criteria: * Participants older than 75 years. * Participants with current symptoms of dysphagia * Participants with gastro-intestinal strictures with a diameter less than 8mm, prior GI surgery (Esophageal and/or stomach surgeries), or history of intestinal Crohn's disease * Pregnancy * Participants scheduled for an urgent care visit for the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, upper respiratory infection symptoms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or other symptoms as per clinical staff discretion.
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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
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Swallowable capsule and lab test take on endoscopy for esophageal cancer screening
- What do patients really want when facing oesophageal cancer surgery?
- Can a Pre-Surgery checklist predict who will still have reflux after fundoplication?
- New acid blocker may offer stronger reflux control for Barrett's esophagus
- Can we spot cancer before it starts? a massive study aims to find out
- Which biopsy method best spots early esophageal cancer?