NHS launches 'capsule cameras' for people to do cancer checks at home

THE NHS has rolled out miniature cameras, in a capsule no bigger than a pill, which patients can swallow to get checked for cancer.

The innovative method, known as colon capsule endoscopy, uses imaging technology, and can provide a diagnosis within hours, the NHS said.

An initial group of 11,000 NHS patients in England will receive the capsule cameras in more than 40 parts of the country.

The capsule endoscopy normally takes five to eight hours and provides full images of the bowel with information sent to a data recorder in a shoulder bag, so patients can go about their day.

The cameras will help to speed up the checks, catching more cancers early when they are easier to treat.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: "The NHS is now pushing ahead with genuine innovation to expand services for many other conditions. That’s why we're now trialing these ingenious capsule cameras to allow more people to undergo cancer investigations quickly and safely.

"As these minute cameras pass through your body, they take two pictures per second checking for signs of cancer and other conditions like Crohn’s disease."

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS clinical director for cancer said: “From the cutting edge technology of these colon capsules to Covid protected hubs and chemo home deliveries, the NHS has fast tracked new ways of treating and diagnosing cancer – all while responding to the coronavirus pandemic."

Ed Seward, Clinical lead at UCLH, said: “Colon capsule is a new innovation that has recently become available and involves swallowing a camera pill that takes pictures of the bowel as it passes through. These pictures are beamed to a recording device that the patient wears at their waist.

“Not only does colon capsule increase our diagnostic capacity, it also allows us to do the examination in the patient's home."

Dr Alastair McKinlay, president of the British society of gastroenterology, said: “Colon capsule is a promising new technology that may offer a real advantage for some patients. For this reason, we welcome the opportunity for a proper service evaluation so that both the limitations and advantages of this technique can be properly assessed."