A telescopic tube that scans the lungs for cancer is being used by NHS doctors , cutting diagnosis time from days to just 30 minutes . When tumours in the lungs are suspected , patients can face a raft of tests and even surgery to find out if they have the disease , often resulting in an agonising wait before they start lifesaving treatment . Now doctors at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ( UCLH ) are able to start vital treatment much sooner using a single procedure . It even allows them to assess instantly the type and severity of the cancer . Scroll down for video . A finger-width flexible tube called an endobronchial ultrasound ( EBUS ) allows doctors to see inside the lungs and take a tissue sample in one go . The procedure involves inserting the EBUS down the throat , guided by a tiny camera fitted to the tube . An ultrasound scanner attached to one end of the tube takes a scan while a small needle takes a tissue sample . Findings from a three-year trial at UCLH reveal that the method halves the time it takes between a patient ’ s first hospital appointment and for a decision to be made on the best course of treatment . EBUS patients wait an average of 14 days for a decision , compared with 29 days for those diagnosed via more conventional techniques . And as well as getting a quicker diagnosis , patients who have undergone EBUS survive for longer . Doctors at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ( pictured ) are able to start vital treatment much sooner using a single procedure . They survive for 503 days after diagnosis , compared with 312 days for people assessed through more traditional methods . This is probably due to the fact that EBUS can more accurately diagnose the type of cancer involved and therefore the type of treatment needed . Consultant Dr Neal Navani , who has been testing the technique , said the results had been so impressive that he now hoped the procedure would be rolled out across the NHS . ‘ EBUS routinely prevents the need for scans , tests and operations and speeds up the route to the correct treatment , ’ he says . He adds : ‘ The trial showed that the new procedure is quicker and better – it halves the time to the start of treatment at no additional cost. ’ BBC political editor Nick Robinson announced that doctors found a tumour on his lung earlier this year . More than 40,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK every year , yet the disease is notoriously difficult to treat as it is often spotted at a late stage . The BBC ’ s political editor Nick Robinson announced earlier this year that doctors had found a tumour on his lung , and he has since undergone a successful operation to remove the growth . Diagnosing lung cancer can be a challenge – X-rays are not always definitive as it is hard to distinguish between cancer and other lung conditions . A biopsy is the traditional way to check conclusively whether a patient has lung cancer . However , obtaining a tissue sample can be difficult as lung cancer often spreads to the lymph nodes in the chest and these are hard to reach . This means that surgery may be necessary before a doctor can be sure that the disease is present , resulting in a wait for results . The health of many cancer patients can deteriorate because these delays mean they are not started immediately on lifesaving treatments such as chemotherapy . By comparison , the EBUS allows doctors to look directly into the windpipe and breathing tubes , while the ultrasound scanner can check the lymph glands in the centre of the chest for cancer . One patient who received faster treatment thanks to the EBUS technique is retired sales worker Maureen Mullen . The 65-year-old from Borehamwood , Hertfordshire , had already had a tumour removed from her lung in September 2013 , and underwent a double mastectomy the following March after being diagnosed with breast cancer . Then in June last year , she began to feel breathless while on holiday in Spain . When she returned home to Britain , she was given the devastating news that she had a new lump behind her breastbone . Her doctors could not be sure what type of cancer it was without investigating further , so they recommended she have the pioneering EBUS procedure . ‘ They said I was a very sick lady , ’ reveals Maureen . ‘ My consultant explained the procedure to me and I was taken into the operating theatre and sedated . It was all over so quickly – there were no side effects from the procedure , no dry mouth or sluggishness , and I felt really positive about the whole process. ’ The EBUS revealed Maureen had small cell carcinoma , a form of lung cancer that can spread quickly , and she needed a course of chemotherapy immediately . She started treatment the next day , and after six months of chemo , the tumour was gone . ‘ The EBUS was brilliantly efficient , ’ adds Maureen . ‘ By 4pm that day , my cancer had been diagnosed and the appropriate chemotherapy was ordered for me to start the next day . ‘ Had I had a traditional biopsy , who knows where I ’ d be . ’
When tumours in lungs are suspected , patients can face a raft of tests . Some even need surgery to find out before lifesaving treatment can begin . Now doctors at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are able to start vital treatment much sooner after single procedure . It even allows them to assess instantly the type and severity of the cancer .