Tiny cameras to find cancer early


Date: 23.03.2021

Tiny cameras that can be swallowed and take images of inside the body to check for cancer are being sent to 11,000 NHS patients across England.

The cameras are no bigger than a pill and record two images every second, sending the data to a partner device worn around the waist.

They are a simpler alternative to traditional endoscopy where a patient has a tube put into their body with a camera to look for cancer of the colon.

Hospitals have been forced to cancel and delay large numbers of endoscopies during the coronavirus surge and new rules on protecting staff and patients from infection mean the process takes longer with fewer people able to be seen in the same time.

NHS England said the pill cameras, known as colon capsule endoscopy, take between five and eight hours to deliver images of the bowel as patients go about their normal day.

The technology has been used for years in America and in some NHS trusts after being licensed in the US since 2001. Scottish hospitals launched a similar scheme in November.

The NHS hopes it will help catch bowel cancer earlier, making the disease easier to treat.


The article based on the information: Independent 

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