Putting the spotlight on diagnostic yield in upper GI endoscopy cases
Early detection of gastric cancer and premalignant gastric pathologies remains a key unmet need in gastroenterology, particularly in low-incidence settings where universal endoscopic screening is neither practical nor cost-effective. Serological biomarkers are showing great potential to help optimise diagnostic yield in gastroscopy cases. Join BIOHIT at BSG LIVE’26 – taking place at LEX, Liverpool, from the 22nd to the 25th of June – as we put the spotlight on the benefits of point-of-care testing (POCT), using serological biomarkers as a triage tool to support overburdened endoscopy services.
Long waiting times, poor diagnostic yield
NHS waiting lists for endoscopy services are longer than ever, and their management is a constant challenge. Endoscopy procedures consume significant resources with limited capacity and have relatively low diagnostic yields for gastric cancer and premalignant gastric pathologies – as well as being unpleasant for patients – making universal endoscopic screening an impractical solution for upper GI complaints. POCT for specific serological biomarkers – pepsinogen I/II, gastrin-17 and Helicobacter pylori – offers a minimally invasive method for triage and risk stratification to guide the need for endoscopy. Adopting this approach may allow prioritisation of patients at higher risk of significant pathologies while avoiding endoscopy in low-risk cases where it is unlikely to offer benefit.
Exploring a complementary approach to endoscopy
The potential benefits of POCT for serological biomarkers is the focus of a thought-provoking presentation by Andreas Hadjinicolaou, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Lecturer in Gastroenterology and Endoscopy at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge. This session, entitled Optimising Endoscopic Yield in Gastric Cancer Detection: A Risk-Stratified Approach Using Serological Biomarkers, will take place at BSG LIVE’26 on Tuesday the 23rd of June at 16:00. Sponsored by BIOHIT HealthCare, it will explore the clinical utility of serological biomarkers as triage tools for endoscopic referrals, including preliminary real-world data from the CyGIM study. Its potential role within current diagnostic pathways will also be discussed, along with the implications for service efficiency, patient selection and personalised risk-based screening strategies. Adopting this approach may allow prioritisation of patients at higher risk of significant pathology to improve early detection of gastric cancer and its precursors while reducing unnecessary endoscopies for low-risk individuals, and could be an important step toward more targeted, evidence-based prevention of gastric cancer.
Supporting point-of-care testing for serological biomarkers
GastroPanel® is a comprehensive pre-endoscopy blood test from BIOHIT HealthCare that enables the assessment of pepsinogen I/II, gastrin-17 and H. pylori biomarkers. These clinically relevant indicators of gastric health have great potential to contribute to earlier diagnosis and more targeted endoscopy for patients with atrophic gastritis – a precursor for gastric cancer – and can help triage patients according to risk.
POCT with GastroPanel has benefits for both the NHS and patients. Using serological biomarkers in this way can help to triage patients for gastroscopy effectively, reducing endoscopies for low-risk patients. This approach can be incorporated into existing healthcare pathways without significant disruption, and delivered in community clinic settings. It is also significantly lower cost and more scalable than endoscopy. Individuals undergoing investigations for gastric problems benefit from a test that is minimally invasive, accessible and more patient friendly than endoscopy, and that can be performed wherever needed. Importantly, GastroPanel has the potential to speed up onward referrals for high-risk patients and enable targeted treatment decisions, such as gastroscopy and H. pylori eradication therapy.
Moving towards an earlier diagnosis
POCT for serological biomarkers with GastroPanel offers clinicians a first-line or pre-endoscopy test to differentiate between high- and low-risk patients and guide referrals. It can be used to help identify high-risk patients who need a gastroscopy, provide reassurance for clinical decision making on low-risk patients, enable more targeted use of specialist services, and remove bottlenecks in referral pathways. By identifying those at higher risk of serious pathologies, it may help to prioritise patients who need urgent referral for further investigation, ultimately contributing to early diagnoses.
