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Early Diagnosis of Upper Digestive Tract Disease

Early Diagnosis of Upper Digestive Tract Disease

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04475952
Acronym
E-DIGEST
Enrollment
180
Registered
2020-07-17
Start date
2019-09-13
Completion date
2025-09-13
Last updated
2025-02-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Breath Test, Diagnose Disease, Digestive System Disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Brief summary

Upper digestive tract cancer (UDC) is a major disease burden worldwide encompassing all cancers involving the digestive tract (from oral cavity to duodenum). A majority of patients presenting with this disease are diagnosed late and have poor overall survival rates (\<20%). NICE referral guidelines for diagnostic endoscopy are usually associated with late disease. Exhaled breath testing is a non-invasive and acceptable technology utilising mass spectrometry (MS) which has shown promise at diagnosing cancer at an early stage. Previous research has shown that products formed as a result of metabolism can be measured in breath and saliva (biomarkers). This has the ability to accurately identify patients with upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancers from breath. Our initial pilot data has demonstrated that changes in the breakdown of metabolites release volatile organic compounds (VOC) which can be measured with MS. This data is supported by other patient studies. However no previous study has been performed utilising a non-invasive technique with breath and saliva. Thus the aim of this study is to identify VOCs present in patients with this disease. In this multi-centre study the investigators want to overcome the limitations of previous work by utilising non-invasive samples (breath, saliva and urine) in patients in multiple sites. The investigators aim to conduct a study in patients with UDC and those without. The investigators hope that the results of this study will provide evidence for large scale analysis of patients with this disease, demonstrate the feasibility of this technique and move this valuable test forward into mainstream medical practice. The major advantage of this test is that it is easy to undertake and painless for the patient. This study of products in breath, saliva and urine will be useful for detecting UDC to allow treatment at an early stage, improving overall survival.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Imperial College London
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Any patient who: * is ≥ 18 years old and below 90 years of age, AND: * is undergoing endoscopy as part of their routine clinical care, OR: * is undergoing surgical resection of orodigestive tract disease as part of their routine clinical care, OR: * is undergoing treatment of orodigestive tract disease as part of their routine clinical care

Exclusion criteria

* Any patient who: * Lacks capacity or is unable to provide informed consent. * Any patient below 18 years of age or over 90 years of age.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Non-invasive testing5 yearsSamples such as exhaled breath, urine, saliva, tissue and blood will be obtained from patients. These will be analysed with mass spectrometry to identify the compounds changed in patients with the target disease and those without.

Countries

United Kingdom

Contacts

Primary ContactYan Mei Goh, MBChB, MRCS
y.goh@imperial.ac.uk0207 594 3396

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026