Expanding beyond endoscopy: A review of non-invasive modalities in Barrett’s esophagus screening and surveillance

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a condition that results from replacement of the damaged normal squamous esophageal mucosa to intestinal columnar mucosa and is the most significant predisposing factor for development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Current guidelines recommend endoscopic evaluation for screening and surveillance based on various risk factors which has limitations such as invasiveness, availability of a trained specialist, patient logistics and cost. Trans-nasal endoscopy is a less invasive modality but still has similar limitations such as limited availability of trained specialist and costs. Non-endoscopic modalities, in comparison, require minimal intervention, can be done in an office visit and has the potential to be a more ideal choice for mass public screening and surveillance, particularly in patents at low risk for BE. These include newer generations of esophageal capsule endoscopy which provides direct visualization of BE, and tethered capsule endomicroscopy which can obtain high-resolution images of the esophagus. Various cell collection devices coupled with biomarkers have been used for BE screening. Cytosponge, in combination with TFF3, as well as EsophaCap and EsoCheck have shown promising results in various studies when used with various biomarkers. Other modalities including circulatory microRNAs and volatile organic compounds that have demonstrated favorable outcomes. Use of these cell collection methods for BE surveillance is a potential area of future research.