Scientists in Britain have developed a test to detect cancer of the esophagus which could improve survival rates, they said Tuesday. Esophageal cancer develops in cells that line the esophagus, or food pipe, which connects the throat to the stomach. It is difficult to diagnose early and five-year survival rates are low. But researchers at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at University College London have devised an cheap and easy test that detects high levels of a protein called Mcm5, an early indication of the disease. “The problem with esophageal cancer is that patients present symptoms and the disease is fairly advanced and the prognosis is usually poor,” said Dr Kai Stoeber, who reported the findings in the British Journal of Cancer.
