CDx Diagnostics has released data that support the company's WATS3D (wide-area transepithelial sample biopsy with 3D analysis) as an additional surveillance tool to increase detection of dysplasia and Barrett's esophagus.
The WATS3D biopsy collects a wide-area, disaggregated tissue specimen of the thickness of the suspect epithelium, according to the company. The tissue specimen is then subjected to computer-assisted 3D analysis to pinpoint potentially abnormal cells for presentation to a pathologist.
The retrospective, multicenter study, led by Seth A. Gross, MD, of the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and NYU Langone Medical Center, found that WATS3D increased detection yield of Barrett's esophagus by 20% (p < 0.05). In three sites that had more than 30 WATS3D tests performed or had onsite assistance, the increased detection yield of Barrett's esophagus was an average of 46% (p < 0.05, n = 75).
Esophageal cancer is now the fastest growing form of cancer in the U.S. Early detection is particularly difficult because dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus is often inconspicuous, flat, and patchy in distribution.
