Medical technology trial using iPhones to detect throat cancer undertaken by the NHS The increase in referrals is causing backlogs on waiting lists.

Frustrated patients often have to wait weeks to get the all clear, but it is hoped a new camera device attached to a smartphone will capture images instantly, allowing experts to check for signs of cancer and report back within hours.

Janet Hennessy, 76, from Bradeley in Stoke-on-Trent, who took part in the research, said her experience was such procedures normally took up to three weeks. “I think the app is absolutely amazing,” he said.

NHS national cancer director Dr Cally Palmer said it was important to detect cancer early Providing treatment as soon as possible to help give patients the best chance of survival.

“For those needing tests to investigate suspected cancer, this can be an extremely worrying time and rule out disease earlier “It can make a huge difference for people and their families,” he said.

Ajith George, consultant head and neck surgeon at University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust, said the device provided the “radical change” needed to the cancer referral system, with many NHS trusts struggling to meet patient demand.

“Facilitating services helps focus on unfortunate patients diagnosed with cancer,” Mr. George said.

The NHS is under pressure to improve its performance as it grapples with a boom in cancer treatment programmes, and here’s what the charity Cancer Research UK predicted in September: More than 300,000 patients will face delays by 2029.

People suspected of having throat cancer usually undergo endoscopy; This is a hospital procedure that involves passing a long, thin tube with a camera through it through the mouth or nose to look inside the body.

The endoscope-i adapter, which can be plugged into an iPhone, includes an endoscope eyepiece with a 32mm lens and an app that allows nurses to capture images and share them with specialists via a secure cloud.

The NHS hopes the device, manufactured by medical technology firm Endoskop-i Ltd, could eventually be used in any healthcare setting following a trial in the West Midlands; This means people can get tested closer to their home and not necessarily have to go to hospital.

Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of patients urgently referred for cancer testing, but there has been no increase in the overall numbers of cancers diagnosed. Of the approximately 250,000 emergency referrals for suspected head and neck cancer, only 5 percent result in a cancer diagnosis.

More than 1,800 patients enrolled in the trial so far have been cleared of throat cancer within a few days, allowing clinicians to focus on fewer people diagnosed with cancer.

The NHS has set a 28-day window from the date of referral to tell people if they have cancer. Over the past four months, the NHS said more than 75 per cent of patients received their results within the designated timeframe.

NHS working with government on ten-year plan Incorporating technological innovations to help move more care options from hospitals to the community.

Other recently trialled innovations include a sponge that could be used to detect esophageal cancer and a home testing kit for people with a genetic predisposition to a fault in the gene that causes some types of cancer.