NHS pilot will offer 'sponge on a string' cancer test in pharmacies

A "sponge on a string" test that identifies a precursor to one of the deadliest cancers will be offered to hundreds of people at high-street pharmacies in England for the first time.

- Andrew Gregory

Patients with persistent heartburn or acid reflux can take the "game-changer" tablet-sized capsule that, when washed down with a glass of water, expands in the stomach.

The device is then pulled out using an attached thread, allowing the cells it has gathered to be analysed to see whether someone has Barrett's oesophagus, which raises the risk of developing oesophageal cancer.

The cancer is on the rise and is closely associated with factors such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and having a hiatus hernia.