UK's health service pilots iPhone device to detect throat cancer

The device captures live endoscopy examinations of the throat in high definition (HD), which can then be instantly shared with specialist head and neck consultants via a secure data cloud. A consultant then reviews the video footage and can rapidly detect any traces of cancer reporting this back directly to the patient.

"Detecting cancer early is key to providing treatment as soon as possible to help give patients the best chance of survival. For those needing tests to investigate suspected cancer, it can be an extremely worrying time.

"And being able to rule out the disease sooner can make a huge difference for people and their families," said Dr Cally Palmer, NHS England National Cancer Director.

"Through pioneering new innovations like this iPhone device, which could be used in any setting, we hope we'll be able to detect many more cancers sooner and in ways that are more convenient and less invasive for patients," she said.

An initial trial on triaged low-risk patients at North Midlands University Hospitals NHS Trust in England found that no cancers were missed using this device with patients receiving their results within 23 hours of the test taking place.

With the technology being rolled out across the West Midlands initially, NHS England says this "pioneering" gadget could be used in any NHS setting, helping to free up time and resources in hospitals for cancer patients and reduce waiting times for treatment.

In future, it could be used in diagnostic centres and in community settings, meaning people can get tested closer to home and reduce the need to go to any hospital.

"This new technology is a shining example of how innovation and research can tackle waiting lists, improve patient experience and speed up diagnosis," said UK Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth.

"Using the app, patients can access a potentially lifesaving consultation. By catching cancer earlier and treating it faster, we can ensure more people survive this horrible disease. Harnessing technology to support the NHS is a key part of our 10-Year Health Plan, and will shift the NHS from analogue to digital, equipping the health service with more cutting edge-technologies to catch cancers on time," she said.

So far, over 1,800 patients have had the reassurance that they do not have a cancer of the throat within just a few days.

The vast majority of patients identified at low-risk who have been examined using the device had cancer ruled out, although around one in a hundred of this low-risk group were discovered to have cancer using the gadget.

The device has been developed by West Midlands based medical technology company Endoscope-i Ltd, which is one of 14 projects to receive a share of GBP 25 million as part of the NHS Cancer Programme Innovation Open Call.

Other innovations that have been piloted as part of the programme include a sponge that can be used to detect oesophageal cancer and a home-testing kit for people who have a genetic disposition to a fault in the gene that causes some types of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer.