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FDA approves swallowable Pillcam to detect colon cancer

2,102 views · Published 6 February 2014 · 0:28 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: News Direct · 2014 · News & Politics

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After nine years, the U.S. FDA has approved for use in the United States the Pillcam, a swallowable pill able to help doctors detect colon cancer or polyps in people who struggle to undergo a traditional colonoscopy. 

According to reports, PillCam, already approved by 80 countries including Japan, Canada, Australia, and many others in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, was recently tested in clinical trials to determine its accuracy and safety.

Pillcam is a swallowable pill equipped with two miniature color video cameras that a patient swallows while wearing a recording device around his waist for 10-12 hours. 

During an eight-hour trip through the gut, the camera captures images as it moves through the intestines and colon, transmitting them to the recording device. From the device the pictures are then sent to a computer where the images are visualized, enabling a doctor to detect colon polyps and cancer.

According to report, Pillcam should allow up to 750,000 people who can't undergo a standard colonoscopy in the United States the chance to be diagnosed for cancer or polyps early.

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