Nonendoscopic Screening for Barrett's Esophagus in Veterans Without Chronic Reflux

The veteran population is at increased risk for EAC and its precursor lesion, Barrett's esophagus (BE), due to increased prevalence of disease risk factors compared to the general population. BE is traditionally diagnosed only when patients undergo endoscopy with biopsies. However, due to the high cost of endoscopy and the lack of studies proving efficacy of screening, endoscopy to screen for BE is not routinely recommended. A simpler screening procedure similar to a pap smear would be an ideal way to sample the esophageal tissue for cancer and its precursor condition, BE. This study proposes a non-endoscopic detection method administered in outpatient offices which would increase subsequent endoscopic detection of BE. The study team will be enrolling veterans who do not have history of gastroesophageal reflux but have multiple risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma.

NCT Number	NCT06746623
Lead Sponsor	Louis Stokes VA Medical Center Collaborators: United States Department of Defense
Conditions	Obese Patients, Tobacco Use, Veterans, Family History of Esophageal Cancer, Barrett Esophagus
Enrollment	400 participants
Start Date	2025-04-11
Primary Completion	2027-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-06-05