Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, based at the MRC Cancer Unit at the University of Cambridge, is head of a research group that studies oesophageal cancer. Despite progress in cancer research, the outlook for patients with this hard-to-treat cancer remains poor because it is often diagnosed late. Finding new ways to catch the disease earlier is therefore important to improve survival, and is the focus of this group’s research.

Professor Fitzgerald and her team have developed a new test, called Cytosponge, to help diagnose a condition called Barrett’s Oesophagus which can sometimes develop into oesophageal cancer. Through a clinical trial called BEST3, the researchers are now introducing Cytosponge to GP practices. This will help diagnose patients with Barrett’s who might benefit from regular check-ups to test for early warning signs of cancer.