10k early oesophageal cancer detection tests logged by Cyted for NHS patients

Station Road-based diagnostic company Cyted has reached the milestone of completing 10,000 early oesophageal cancer detection tests for NHS patients.

The incredible achievement is helping to ensure that patients suffering from Barrett’s oesophagus – who risk developing oesophageal cancer – can be quickly detected and treated, or even treated at the pre-cancerous stage to stop it ever progressing.

Cyted’s unique data-driven test requires patients to swallow a capsule which collects cells from the oesophagus in a process that takes just 10 minutes and can be delivered in the community. The technology is more comfortable and more accessible than conducting endoscopies – the current standard of care for monitoring Barrett’s oesophagus patients.

Cyted then digitises cell samples which are analysed by its pathologists. They identify biomarkers – a measurable biological indicator of the likelihood of a cancer developing. Patients are advised of the risk of developing oesophageal cancer and directed for further tests and treatment where necessary.

Oesophageal cancer remains a pressing public health priority, with late diagnoses leading to poor survival rates. Cyted’s highly effective diagnostic pathway to detect early-stage oesophageal cancer can reduce NHS backlogs and relieve pressures on endoscopy services.

The test is currently used in more than 50 hospitals in England and Scotland and is being trialled in community settings from August 2022, including in GP surgeries. The NHS has provided £500,000 of funding to pilot testing in community care across North-West England.

Cyted was founded in 2018 by a team including Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, CEO Dr Marcel Gehrung, from the University of Cambridge, and CMO Maria O’Donovan, who is lead pathologist for upper GI cancer and diagnostic cytology at Cambridge University Hospitals.

The company’s proprietary AI technology, supported by clinicians, highlights biomarkers that indicate abnormality in cells which can lead to cancer. Cyted is developing the machine learning approach that drives this process to explore new diagnostic technologies.

In May, the early cancer test was displayed as part of a major exhibition on cancer in the London Science Museum. The exhibition, called Cancer Revolution, includes the test as a technology that is transforming cancer care and reshaping the landscape of early cancer detection.

Marcel Gehrung, Cyted’s CEO and co-founder, said: “This milestone shows the difference that our test is making for many thousands of patients. This technology delivers quicker and less intrusive monitoring, freeing up NHS resources.

“The next stage will see the early cancer test used in GP clinics and community diagnostic centres. It’s exciting to see an innovation created in the UK making such a positive impact for patients.

“There is huge potential to build on this work to support many more patients and develop new diagnostic tests in future.”