NHS trials AI and robotics to spot lung cancer

The NHS has launched a pilot at Guy's and St Thomas's using AI to flag lung nodules and robotic catheters to take targeted biopsies; 300 robotic biopsy procedures have been carried out so far, with 215 patients going on to receive cancer treatment.

The NHS has launched a pilot at Guy's and St Thomas's combining artificial intelligence and robotic catheter technology to speed lung cancer diagnosis. AI software will analyse lung scans and flag suspicious nodules. Clinicians then use a robotic catheter to take precise biopsies from the flagged area for laboratory analysis. Officials expect the procedure to be more widely available by 2030 and are expanding lung screening nationally. What is known: - The pilot is led by Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust and will involve a further 250 patients as part of the new phase. - So far, 300 robotic biopsy procedures have been performed and 215 of those patients went on to receive cancer treatment. - The robotic system can reach spots as small as 6mm and is intended to access nodules that can be hard to reach with conventional biopsy methods. - There are plans to expand the procedure to King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. - The national lung screening programme began trials in 2019, was rolled out in 2023, has screened more than 1.5 million people so far, and officials plan to invite a further 1.4 million people next year; screening is estimated to potentially diagnose up to 50,000 cancers by 2035, with at least 23,000 detected at an earlier stage. Summary: Officials say the pilot aims to detect lung cancer earlier and shorten diagnostic pathways by combining AI scan analysis with targeted robotic biopsies. Planned actions include enrolling about 250 more patients in the pilot and introducing the procedure at additional NHS trusts as screening is expanded; wider availability is expected by 2030.