UK scientists report promising new oesophageal cancer test

British researchers said on Tuesday they were seeking commercial partners to develop a new screening test for oesophageal cancer that might dramatically improve survival in this disease.

Cancer Research UK said the new test works by detecting levels of the Mcm5 protein in fluid samples taken from the oesophagus. Mcm5 is one of a family of proteins called minichromosome maintenance proteins that are known to be good markers of uncontrolled cell proliferation.A pilot study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, showed that when the test was used on 40 hospital samples — half with oesophageal cancer and half without — it was able to identify the cancer with 85% accuracy.Five-year survival from oesophageal cancer in the UK is only around 8% but when the disease is diagnosed early, surgery and chemotherapy can yield survival rates in excess of 80%, the researchers said.Professor Gareth Williams, head of the research group at London’s Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, said in a statement: “Testing for high levels of Mcm5 could enable doctors to pick up cancer at an early stage, as it reflects a faulty cellular process that begins long before the tumour reaches an easily detectable size.”Dr Stephen Middleton, who led the clinical trial at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, said the new test would be less invasive than the regular endoscopic tests currently used to check patients who have a high risk of developing oesophageal cancer. This would make it safer and more convenient for patients.Cancer Research UK, which holds the patent on the Mcm5 test, said the researchers were seeking commercial partners to develop it further. If large-scale trials prove the test’s effectiveness, it could be launched within five years.There are over 7,000 cases of oesophageal cancer in the UK each year, making it the ninth most common cancer. Incidence of the disease has risen by 27% in the last 15 years.(Source: Br J Cancer 2004;91: Reuters Health News: Richard Woodman: Oncolink: August 2004)