SOMERSET NHS Foundation Trust has become one of the first in the country to launch a pioneering new project aimed at detecting oesophageal cancer early.

The initiative will see thousands of people across the county proactively contacted by text and invited to book a quick test that could catch cancer before symptoms even appear.

The trust has set up the project in partnership with C the Signs, an artificial intelligence platform that scans GP records to spot patients who meet specific clinical risk factors for oesophageal cancer.

Initial data suggests that around 3,000 people in Somerset may be at higher risk of the cancer and could be eligible for the test.

So far, more than 1,900 patients have been contacted, with a positive response rate of 18 percent with nearly 350 people taking up the offer of testing.

This has led to the early identification of oesophageal cancer in some patients, as well as the detection of Barrett’s oesophagus, a known precursor condition, enabling earlier intervention and ongoing monitoring.

The project that in Bridgwater is now being extended across Somerset.

Eligible patients identified by the system will receive a text message recommending that they book an appointment, and the trust’s cancer services team is urging people to trust the text message and follow the link.

Once patients respond, the team reviews the information and, if the patient is eligible, they are invited to undergo a capsule sponge test - a quick, minimally invasive procedure that helps detect Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition that can increase the risk of developing cancer in the oesophagus.

Cancer programme manager at the trust, Rosie Edgerley, explained how the test works: “It sits in the stomach for seven minutes before opening into a little sponge, which is then pulled out, collecting cells from the oesophagus that go off to be analysed. Based on those results, it will determine the next steps. Pioneering project to detect cancer early launched by local NHS trust

“As these text messages will likely come to people out of the blue, we want them to trust it and follow the link to book an appointment.”

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s consultant gastroenterologist and clinical lead for the project, Dr Emma Wesley, explains the importance of early detection: “Oesophageal cancer is increasing and we often tend to catch it at a late stage, so roughly only around one in four patients in Somerset are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2.

“By the time a person has symptoms, they’re more likely to be at stage 3 or 4, when treatment options are much less.

“It’s all about getting people earlier when they don’t have symptoms, or the symptoms they have are so minor they might not even notice.

“There are pre-cancerous changes in some people that can be treated to prevent cancer and if we catch the cancer early it has a high chance of being cured. Unfortunately, if the cancer presents late, it’s often fatal.”

The initiative supports the ambitions of the National Cancer Plan, which aims for 75 percent of patients diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer‑free or living well after five years.