Virtua Health has become the first health system in the region to fully implement TissueCypher®, a groundbreaking precision medicine test designed to accurately predict a patient’s personalized risk of developing aggressive esophageal cancer. This technology is now being used for every patient with Barrett’s esophagus (BE) undergoing a routine endoscopy, enabling more accurate disease staging and individualized care plans.
Barrett’s esophagus is a condition caused by chronic acid reflux (GERD) that changes the lining of the esophagus. While it affects a small percentage of individuals, BE is the only known precursor to esophageal cancer, an aggressive disease with a five-year survival rate of less than 20% once symptoms become apparent.
By adopting TissueCypher®, Virtua gastroenterologists can now establish a patient’s personalized risk stratification, classifying them as low, intermediate, or high-risk, and assigning a risk score (0-10) associated with their likelihood of progressing to cancer within five years of the biopsy.
The impact of this technology is already being felt by patients like Steven “Steve” Oakley, 59, of Maple Shade, who suffered from gastrointestinal reflux for over 30 years and was diagnosed with BE seven years ago.
“I spent most of my life taking TUMS to help with the heartburn I experienced almost every day,” Oakley explained. “I never knew that my heartburn could lead to cancer.”
Oakley’s most recent endoscopy included the TissueCypher® test, which indicated he was a high-risk patient. When follow-up biopsies showed he was “indefinite for dysplasia”—abnormal cells that may precede cancer—he was immediately referred to Dr. Zubair Malik, medical director of the Virtua Motility & GERD Program.
Oakley underwent a Barrett’s ablation, an endoscopic procedure that destroys the abnormal cells in the esophagus using radiofrequency energy, thereby reducing the risk of cancer.
“TissueCypher® is a game changer for Barrett’s esophagus patients,” Malik said. “The ability of the technology to assist in the prediction, prevention, and treatment of the disease has the potential to save lives.”
Oakley, scheduled for a second ablation, is optimistic about his future monitoring, stating, “I truly believe that my Virtua doctors’ use of TissueCypher® has saved my life.”
The widespread implementation of this technology underscores Virtua Health’s commitment to providing advanced, trusted health care services and cancer prevention to the people of South Jersey.
