Somerset cancer screening programme launched by NHS

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has launched the early detection project to identify oesophageal cancer using an AI-powered system.

It launched in Bridgwater, Chard, and Langport and is now being expanded across the county.

The system contacts eligible patients via text, inviting them to book a capsule sponge test that can detect cancer at a treatable stage.

Rosie Edgerley, cancer programme manager at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We’ve started in Bridgwater and now we’re extending to all GP practices within Somerset.

"We’re working with C the Signs – which uses artificial intelligence to identify patients at risk of cancer at the earliest stage – to run searches within patients’ GP records for those who meet certain risk factors, and then we text them a link to say we recommend that they complete a short assessment form to determine whether they need an appointment with us."

The AI platform scans GP records to identify people with risk factors for oesophageal cancer.

Early results show that around 3,000 Somerset residents may be eligible for testing.

So far, more than 1,900 people have been contacted, and nearly 350 have taken up the offer.

Dr Emma Wesley, consultant gastroenterologist and clinical lead for the project, said: "Oesophageal cancer is increasing and we often tend to catch it at a late stage, so roughly only around one in four patients in Somerset are diagnosed at stage one or two.

"By the time a person has symptoms, they’re more likely to be at stage three or four, when treatment options are much less."

The test involves swallowing a capsule on a string.

After seven minutes in the stomach, it expands into a sponge, which is then pulled back up to collect cells from the oesophagus for analysis.

The project supports the National Cancer Plan, which aims for 75 per cent of patients diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well after five years.

Bridgwater was chosen as the starting point due to higher rates of risk factors such as obesity and smoking.

The town also has a community diagnostic centre and an endoscopy unit at Bridgwater Hospital, making follow-up testing more accessible.