Minimally invasive techniques for screening Barrett's Esophagus: a literature review

Abstract

Objective: To analyze less invasive methods that could be used for population screening for Barrett's Esophagus as an alternative to conventional endoscopy. Methods: This is a qualitative approach, conducted through an integrative literature review. A search for previous works was performed in the National Library of Medicine and the Virtual Health Library platforms using the descriptors "Screening", "Barrett Esophagus" and "Endoscopy". The study included complete articles, in English, published from 2010 to April 2021, with experimental or observational design and Barrett's Esophagus as the main subject. Results: It was observed that both transnasal and capsule video endoscopy were better accepted and tolerated by patients during screening despite lower accuracy compared to conventional endoscopy. The use of the capsule sponge for trefoil factor 3 showed high specificity and was successful in sampling for methylated DNA markers, promising for the diagnosis. Final considerations: It still remains a challenge to design a screening program for Barrett's Esophagus. Studies in this area are ongoing and have as their main focus the development of such methods.