Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39856802›Full record

Observational studyCancer medicine2025

Application of Esophageal Sponge Cytology in Screening Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a High-Risk Region of China.

Shu Huang, Xuexiang Gu, Hailang Zhou, Yadong Feng, Ruihua Shi, Wei Wang, Aijun Zhou, Jie Lin

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Cancer medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04609813 (Esophageal cAncer Screening Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04609813 completednot on this map

Esophageal cAncer Screening Trial (EAST) Based on Novel Sponge Cytology：a Multicenter Nationwide Study

TypeobservationalSponsorChanghai HospitalRan2021 to 2022Enrolled14,597ConditionsEsophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Esophageal Cancer, Gastroesophageal Junction AdenocarcinomaArmsSponge cytological test
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Shu HuangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Lianshui People's Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Huai'an, China.
Xuexiang GuCancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7574-6606
Hailang ZhouDepartment of Gastroenterology, Lianshui People's Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Huai'an, China.
Yadong FengDepartment of Gastroenterology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Ruihua ShiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Wei WangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Lianshui People's Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Huai'an, China.
Aijun ZhouDepartment of Gastroenterology, Lianshui People's Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Huai'an, China.
Jie LinCancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Funding

Huai'an Health Research Project HAWJ202127Jiangsu Province Elderly Health Research Project LSD2022030
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the feasibility and accuracy of esophageal sponge cytology in screening esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

methodsFrom May 2021 to June 2022, an opportunistic screening was performed in people aged 40-75 from a high-risk region for ESCC. Using an esophageal cell collector that was independently developed in China for esophageal sponge cytology, a positive cytology was determined as detection of atypical squamous cells or more severe lesions. The safety, tolerability, and accuracy of esophageal sponge cytology were compared with those of pathological examination after endoscopy and biopsy.

resultsA total of 1581 eligible participants were involved in the screening program, including 61 (3.86%) with high-grade lesions pathologically confirmed by endoscopic biopsy. No serious adverse events were reported during sampling. Major adverse events included vomiting during sampling (n = 2, 0.13%) and sore throat after sampling (n = 36, 2.27%). The majority of participants showed good tolerability and accessibility (n = 1568, 98.80%) accessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS). Esophageal sponge cytology offered a satisfactory diagnostic accuracy in screening advanced esophageal epithelial lesions, with a sensitivity of 98.36% (95%CI: 90.02%-99.91%) and a specificity of 91.15% (95%CI: 89.97%-92.84%), and a negative predictive value up to 99. 92% (95%CI: 99.53%-99.99%).

conclusionEsophageal sponge cytology is a highly feasible, safe, and accurate screening method for ESCC in a high-risk region of China.

trial registrationFirst Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University: NCT04609813.

Indexed as

CytodiagnosisEarly Detection of CancerEsophageal NeoplasmsEsophageal Squamous Cell CarcinomaEsophagusAdultAgedBiopsyChinaEsophagoscopyFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Ageddiagnosisesophageal high‐grade intraepithelial neoplasiaesophageal sponge cytologyesophageal squamous cell carcinomascreening

Identifiers

PMID39856802
PMCPMC11761409

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.