一項旨在確定是否應該使用創新的 10 分鐘海綿測試來篩檢胃灼熱患者是否患有食道癌的重大試驗已經迎來了第一批患者。

膠囊海綿測試要求患者吞下串在繩子上的可溶解藥丸，藥丸會釋放出 50 便士硬幣大小的海綿，在取出食道時收集細胞。

The first patients have been welcomed onto a major trial to determine if an innovative 10-minute sponge test should be used to screen people with heartburn for oesophageal cancer.

第一批患者已接受一項重大試驗，以確定是否應使用創新的 10 分鐘海綿測試來篩檢胃灼熱患者是否患有食道癌。

The capsule sponge test involves patients swallowing a dissolvable pill on a string, which releases a sponge the size of a 50p coin to collect cells from the oesophagus as it is retrieved.

膠囊海綿測試要求患者吞下串在繩子上的可溶解藥丸，藥丸會釋放出 50 便士硬幣大小的海綿，在取出食道時收集細胞。

It picks up abnormalities that form as part of a condition known as Barrett’s oesophagus, which makes a person more likely to develop oesophageal cancer.

它可以檢測出巴雷特食道疾病的異常情況，這種疾病使人更有可能患上食道癌。

It is hoped that using the test to screen for the disease could save lives and reduce the need for “labour-intensive” endoscopy – a camera down the throat – which is currently the “gold standard” to diagnose and treat this type of cancer.

人們希望利用該測試來篩檢這種疾病可以挽救生命，並減少對「勞動密集型」內視鏡檢查（喉嚨裡的攝影機）的需求，而內視鏡檢查是目前診斷和治療此類癌症的「黃金標準」。

The study – known as the Best4 Screening trial – has been hailed as the “pinnacle of many years of painstaking research” by experts.

這項被稱為 Best4 篩選試驗的研究被專家譽為「多年艱苦研究的巔峰之作」。

It will aim to recruit 120,000 people over the next three years.

其目標是在未來三年內招募12萬人。

People who regularly take medication for heartburn will be invited to join with a text message from NHS research.

經常服用治療胃灼熱藥物的人將被邀請加入 NHS 研究的簡訊。

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, director of the Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge, invented the sponge test and is co-principal investigator of the Best4 trial.

劍橋大學早期癌症研究所所長 Rebecca Fitzgerald 教授發明了海綿測試，也是 Best4 試驗的共同首席研究員。

She said: “The capsule sponge is changing how we detect Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal cancer.

她說：「膠囊海綿正在改變我們檢測巴雷特食道和食道癌的方式。

“Catching it earlier can save lives by reducing the need for chemotherapy and surgery to remove the oesophagus.”

“及早發現它可以減少化療和切除食道手術的需要，從而挽救生命。”

As part of the trial, patients will visit mobile vans for the 10-minute test, where they will be given a small, coated pill attached to a thread.

作為試驗的一部分，患者將前往移動貨車進行 10 分鐘的測試，在那裡他們將獲得一顆附有細線的小包衣藥丸。

When this reaches the stomach, the coating dissolves and releases a small sponge.

當它到達胃部時，塗層溶解並釋放出小海綿。

This collects cells from the oesophagus as it is pulled from the stomach and will then be sent to be tested for two proteins; trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), which is only found in Barrett’s oesophagus, and altered p53 protein, which identifies cells which are starting to grow out of control and become oesophageal cancer.

當食道從胃中拉出時，它會收集食道中的細胞，然後將其送去測試兩種蛋白質；三葉因子 3 (TFF3)（僅存在於巴雷特食道中）和改變的 p53 蛋白（可識別開始生長失控並成為食道癌的細胞）。

Prof Fitzgerald added: “The Best4 Screening trial is the pinnacle of many years of painstaking research, which has demonstrated that the capsule sponge can reliably identify Barrett’s oesophagus.

菲茨傑拉德教授補充說：「Best4 Screening 試驗是多年艱苦研究的巔峰之作，它證明膠囊海綿能夠可靠地識別巴雷特食道。

“Thousands of people have already benefited in trials and pilot programmes, and now we’re taking the test to the next level to see if we could offer this to everyone with heartburn.

「數千人已經從試驗和試點計劃中受益，現在我們正在將測試提升到一個新的水平，看看我們是否可以為每個患有胃灼熱的人提供這種服務。

“The Best4 Screening trial could fundamentally transform the lives of people affected by oesophageal cancer by providing the crucial evidence needed to make it a viable screening programme, rolled out to every part of the UK.”

“Best4 篩檢試驗可以提供所需的關鍵證據，使其成為可行的篩檢計劃，並在英國各地推廣，從而從根本上改變食道癌患者的生活。”

A previous trial – Best3 – found the sponge test picks up 10 times more cases of Barrett’s oesophagus in people with chronic heartburn compared to routine GP care.

先前的一項試驗（Best3）發現，與常規全科醫生護理相比，海綿測試在慢性胃灼熱患者中發現的巴雷特食道病例多了 10 倍。

Paul Anderson, 59, is one of the first patients to join Best4.

59 歲的保羅安德森 (Paul Anderson) 是第一批加入 Best4 的患者之一。

The stock controller from St Neots started getting acid reflux a decade ago and has been on medication to manage it ever since.

來自 St Neots 的庫存管理員十年前開始出現胃酸倒流，從那時起就一直靠藥物來控制。

He said: “I’d never been on a clinical trial before, but when the invitation came for this one, I felt I had to sign up as the acid reflux had flared back up again.

他說：「我以前從未參加過臨床試驗，但當我收到這次臨床試驗的邀請時，我覺得我必須報名，因為胃酸倒流再次出現。

“I’m hoping that it may give me some more insight into my chronic heartburn, as well as helping people who may have similar concerns about their health.”

“我希望它能讓我對我的慢性胃灼熱有更多的了解，並幫助那些可能對自己的健康有類似擔憂的人。”

Oesophageal cancer affects about 9,300 people a year, according to Cancer Research UK.

據英國癌症研究中心稱，食道癌每年影響約 9,300 人。

Professor Peter Sasieni, director of the Cancer Research UK Cancer Prevention Trials Unit at Queen Mary University of London, said: “We have already shown that the capsule sponge can reliably identify people with Barrett’s oesophagus.

倫敦瑪麗女王大學英國癌症研究中心癌症預防試驗小組主任 Peter Sasieni 教授表示：「我們已經證明，膠囊海綿可以可靠地識別患有巴雷特食道的人。

“Now we need to show that using it in a targeted screening programme can help prevent oesophageal cancer and reduce deaths from this disease.”

“現在我們需要證明，在有針對性的篩檢計劃中使用它可以幫助預防食道癌並減少這種疾病的死亡。”

Best4 has been backed by £6.4 million from Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Best4 得到了英國癌症研究中心和國家健康與護理研究所 (NIHR) 640 萬英鎊的支持。

Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “Around 59% of all oesophageal cancer cases are preventable.

英國癌症研究中心執行長米歇爾米切爾表示：「大約 59% 的食道癌病例是可以預防的。

“Yet endoscopy, the gold standard for diagnosing and treating this cancer, is labour-intensive and not practical for a population screening programme.”

“然而，內視鏡檢查作為診斷和治療這種癌症的黃金標準，是勞動密集型的，對於人群篩檢計劃來說並不實用。”

Ms Mitchell described the sponge test as one of the “most exciting early detection tools to emerge in recent years”.

米切爾女士將海綿測試描述為「近年來出現的最令人興奮的早期檢測工具」之一。

“It’s a remarkable invention by Professor Fitzgerald and her team, and previous trials have shown how powerful it can be in identifying cancer earlier,” she added.

「這是菲茨傑拉德教授和她的團隊的一項了不起的發明，先前的試驗已經表明它在早期識別癌症方面有多強大，」她補充道。

“Cancer Research UK is proud to be supporting this landmark clinical trial, bringing the capsule sponge test into the community and offering it to a much wider group of patients. After many decades of research, we’re on the cusp of transforming oesophageal cancer diagnosis forever.”

「英國癌症研究中心很自豪能夠支持這項具有里程碑意義的臨床試驗，將膠囊海綿測試引入社區，並將其提供給更廣泛的患者群體。經過幾十年的研究，我們正處於永遠改變食道癌診斷的風口浪尖。