Magnetically assisted capsule endoscopy as a mass screening tool: is it ready for prime time?

In their study entitled “Screening for upper gastrointestinal cancers with magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy: a feasibility study,” Li et al. report on the use of magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy (MCCG) to screen 6627 asymptomatic individuals in Shandong, a province in China where the incidence of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer is considered to be high [1]. This was a feasibility study that reported success in detecting UGI cancers in 0.48 % of participants, among whom four had early gastric cancer and one had early esophageal cancer. The five early cancers were amenable to endoscopic resection. Ulcers were also detected in 3.76 % of these asymptomatic individuals. There were no complications associated with the examination. It is worth noting that the study population may not be extrapolated to the general population as it was a relatively young group, with a relatively low prevalence of smokers and drinkers.