The ongoing increasing incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in the Netherlands during the last few decades and the still dismal prognosis has stimulated interest in screening for Barrett's esophagus (BE). Although BE is a known precursor of EAC, a minority of patients with EAC (<10%) are known with a previous diagnosis of BE, and hence, most cases of BE are undiagnosed. Screening programs to detect BE followed by endoscopic surveillance and treatment of dysplasia or early neoplasia seem able to reduce the incidence of EAC and improve survival. A non-invasive screening tool, such as breath testing, could select patients at risk for BE, after which unsedated transnasal endoscopy (uTNE) can confirm or exclude the diagnosis. uTNE offers the possibility of a more acceptable and accurate endoscopic assessment of the esophagus with almost neglectable risks and lower costs compared to conventional endoscopy. The objective is to determine the accuracy and acceptability of a non-invasive screening strategy i.e. breath testing followed by uTNE for BE and EAC.
In the Netherlands, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is increasing. In addition, EAC has a dismal prognosis. Therefore, screening for Barrett's Esophagus (BE) has stimulated interest. Although BE is a known precursor of EAC, a minority of patients with EAC are known with a previous diagnosis of BE. A non-invasive screening tool, such as breath testing, could select patients at risk for BE, after which unsedated transnasal endoscopy (uTNE) can confirm or exclude the diagnosis. The objective is to determine the accuracy and acceptability of a non-invasive screening strategy i.e. breath testing followed by uTNE for BE and EAC.