Officials hope the new gadget and app will allow thousands of patients to be given the all-clear from the disease much faster – while also helping t

NHS pilots new iPhone adapter to check patients for throat cancer

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2024-11-02 16:30:06

Officials hope the new gadget and app will allow thousands of patients to be given the all-clear from the disease much faster – while also helping to detect cases early.

It is hoped the device will allow thousands of patients to be given the all-clear from the disease within hours – rather than days or weeks - as well as helping to detect cases early.

People suspected of having throat cancer are usually given an endoscopy, which involves a long, thin tube with a camera inside being passed through their mouth or nose to look inside their body.

The endoscope-i adapter, which can be attached to one of Apple's smart phones, includes a 32mm lens endoscope eyepiece and an accompanying app.

It allows nurses to capture endoscopy footage in high definition before sharing it with specialists who can report back to patients directly.

The NHS said an initial pilot by the North Midlands University Hospitals NHS Trust had helped reassure more than 1,800 low-risk patients that they did not have throat cancer, with those tested receiving their results "within 23 hours".