New Endoscopy Technology Improves Early Detection Of Esophageal Cancer

LONDON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 08th Aug, 2025) Researchers from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Medical University of Vienna have developed an advanced imaging technique called "O2E" that allows clinics to detect cancerous lesions in the esophagus with unprecedented precision.

Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the study demonstrated that this innovative endoscopy technology reveals even the smallest pathological tissue changes, significantly improving early detection and diagnosis.

Esophageal cancer ranks among the deadliest cancers: when diagnosed at an advanced stage, the survival rate is only about ten percent. However, if detected early, around 90 percent of patients survive. The new O2E technology could play a crucial role in identifying changes in esophageal tissue at much earlier stages.

O2E combines two imaging techniques in a new endoscopy technology. While OCT is particularly effective at capturing tissue structures, optoacoustic imaging (OPAM) – a method that stimulates tissue with light pulses and detects ultrasound signals resulting from the illumination – can visualise even the smallest blood vessels in deeper tissue layers.

By merging these techniques, high-resolution 3D images of tissue structure and function in the esophagus are generated. Both sensors are integrated into an endoscopy capsule that scans the tissue in a full 360-degree angle.

“Our dual imaging system uncovers critical features of early cancer lesions, including microscopic structural changes beneath the mucosal surface and subtle microvascular alterations within the cancerous tissue, that previous methods were unable to detect,” said Prof. Vasilis Ntziachristos, Director at the Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging at Helmholtz Munich and Chair at TUM.

In their pilot study, the researchers examined the esophagus of animals and tissue samples from patients with Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer. They successfully identified distinct differences between healthy tissue, tissue with abnormal cellular changes, precancerous stages, and malignant tumors.

Initial proof-of-principle tests were carried out on the inner lip of a volunteer, as it shares similar tissue characteristics with the esophagus.