Active clinical trials for "Barrett Esophagus"

Barrett's esophagus is a complication of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease that occurs in up to 10% to 15% of patients with this pathology. Well-defined risk factors have been established and are important because they are considered a precancerous lesion (intestinal metaplasia). The conventional diagnostic methods are ineffective in reliably detecting potentially treatable lesions. Investigators propose the use of vital chromoendoscopy with acetic acid using the simplified classification of Portsmouth looking for areas with loss of acetowhitening and taking targeted biopsies to increase the detection of esophageal neoplastic lesions.

This study will evaluate if the sponge capsule device can accurately detect the presence of Barrett's Esophagus and prevalent dysplasia/adenocarcinoma detection, in a screening population, with and without chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The purpose of this study is to learn the best approach to treating patients with known or suspected Barrett's esophagus by comparing endoscopic surveillance to endoscopic eradication therapy. To diagnose and manage Barrett's esophagus and low-grade dysplasia, doctors commonly use procedures called endoscopic surveillance and endoscopic eradication therapy. Endoscopic surveillance is a type of procedure where a physician will run a tube with a light and a camera on the end of it down the patients throat and remove a small piece of tissue. The piece of tissue, called a biopsy, is about the size of the tip of a ball-point pen and is checked for abnormal cells and cancer cells. Endoscopic eradication therapy is a kind of surgery which is performed to destroy the precancerous cells at the bottom of the esophagus, so that healthy cells can grow in their place. It involves procedures to either remove precancerous tissue or burn it. These procedures can have side effects, so it is not certain whether risking those side effects is worth the benefit people get from the treatments. While both of these procedures are widely accepted approaches to managing the condition, there is not enough research to show if one is better than the other. Barrett's esophagus and low-grade dysplasia does not always worsen to high-grade dysplasia and/or cancer. In fact, it usually does not. So, if a patient's dysplasia is not worsening, doctors would rather not put patients at risk unnecessarily. On the other hand, endoscopic eradication therapy could possibly prevent the worsening of low-grade dysplasia into high-grade dysplasia or cancer (esophageal adenocarcinoma) in some patients. Researchers believe that the results of this study will help doctors choose the safest and most effective procedure for their patients with Barrett's esophagus and low-grade dysplasia. This is a multicenter study involving several academic, community and private hospitals around the United States. Up to 530 participants will be randomized. This study will also include a prospective observational cohort study of up to 150 Barrett's esophagus and low grade dysplasia patients who decline randomization in the randomized control trial but undergo endoscopic surveillance (Cohort 1) or endoscopic eradication therapy (Cohort 2), and are willing to provide longitudinal observational data.

The study will assess the performance of the combined system, i.e., the use of the EsoGuard assay (lab developed test) on cells collected using the EsoCheck (501k cleared device) to detect Barrett's Esophagus (BE), with or without dysplasia, and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) as compared to Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) plus biopsies in both confirmed cases of BE/EAC and in controls (subjects without a prior diagnosis but undergoing screening for BE/EAC)

Esophageal cancer is a deadly disease that is becoming increasingly common in the United States. Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a pre-cancerous state that can develop into esophageal cancer, but is highly treatable. Progression of BE to esophageal cancer is still common due to missed diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus recurrence following treatment. Wide-Area Trans-Epithelial Sampling (WATS-3D) is a new technology that uses brush sampling to examine larger areas of the esophagus as compared to conventional biopsies. Preliminary studies show improved detection of cancerous changes in Barrett's esophagus surveillance. The investigators hope to see if the addition of WATS-3D increases the rate of detection of recurrent BE following treatment, which is of the utmost importance since it would allow for earlier re-treatment of disease and ultimately allow for prevention of progression to esophageal cancer.

The investigators have developed a new technology, termed in-vivo laser capture microdissection (IVLCM), that addresses the limitations of endoscopic biopsy for screening for BE and provides targeted genomic profiling of aberrant tissue for more precise prediction of EAC risk. The device is a tethered capsule endomicroscope (TCE) that implements optical coherence tomography (OCT) to grab 10-mm-resolution, cross-sectional microscopic images of the entire esophagus after the capsule is swallowed. This OCT-based TCE technology is used in unsedated patients to visualize images of BE and dysplastic BE. During the IVLCM procedure, TCE images of abnormal BE tissue are identified in real time and selectively adhered onto the device. When the capsule is removed from the patient, these tissues, targeted based on their abnormal OCT morphology, are sent for genomic analysis. By enabling the precise isolation of aberrant esophageal tissues using a swallowable capsule, this technology has the potential to solve the major problems that currently prohibit adequate BE screening and prevention of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma EAC.

The goal of this research is to test a distal scanning capsule and a compact redesigned version of the OFDI imaging system in healthy and BE subjects to assess ease of use, safety and feasibility in preparation for its use in a multicenter clinical trial.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the CryoBalloon Focal Ablation System for the treatment of previously-untreated ("treatment naïve") Barrett's Esophagus (BE)

Assess Cryoablation (CryoBalloon Ablation cryotherapy) for treatment of Dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus, Esophageal Squamous Dysplasia and early Esophageal Cancer. The cryoablation treatment will be offered as an alternative to standard ablation therapies such as Radiofrequency Ablation, Argon Plasma Coagulation and carbon dioxide Cryotherapy).

The investigators will conduct a large study in the primary care clinic to determine the feasibility of using tethered capsule endomicroscopy as a screening method for Barrett's esophagus (BE) in the primary care practice environment. The investigators are also determining the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus in a primary care practice cohort at MGH.