A rapid brain cancer test being piloted by the NHS can provide an initial diagnosis in less than two hours, allowing doctors to identify tumours more quickly and begin treatment sooner.
The genetic test analyses DNA from a small sample taken during a biopsy or operation. In some cases, surgeons could receive crucial information while a patient is still on the operating table.
The results may help surgical teams decide how much of a tumour can safely be removed without harming healthy brain tissue. They could also allow chemotherapy or radiotherapy to start sooner and give patients faster access to clinical trials requiring a tumour’s precise genetic profile.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS medical director, said the technology had the potential to “completely transform” brain tumour diagnosis.
“For people with suspected brain tumours, getting the right diagnosis quickly can feel like a race against time, while waiting weeks for answers can be agonising for them and their families,” he said.
“This remarkable rapid test has the potential to completely transform how we diagnose brain tumours, with results reaching patients in a matter of days rather than weeks.
“This is a huge leap forward for patients – a faster diagnosis means they can start the right treatment or access clinical trials sooner, while for some patients it could mean surgeons can make potentially life-changing decisions about their surgery while on the operating table.”
There are more than 100 types of brain tumour, ranging from slow-growing to aggressive, and they can respond differently to treatment. Around 13,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK each year, while just one in ten survives for more than five years.
Brain cancer is the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, according to the information accompanying the pilot.
NHS brain tumour testing pilot
The standard diagnostic process involves MRI and CT scans, followed by the removal of a tumour sample. The sample is sent to a pathology laboratory for examination under a microscope, a process that can take weeks before the tumour type is confirmed.
The new NHS England pilot will initially introduce rapid genomic testing at five specialist centres: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
It follows pilots in Nottingham and Birmingham, and is expected to expand further. Genomic laboratory sites in Bristol, Oxford, Leeds and Manchester will join during a second phase.
The test was developed by scientists and medics at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Steve Palmer, 55, from Nottingham, has already benefited from the technology. He collapsed at a gym despite having no previous symptoms and was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma after surgeons tested his tumour during the operation.
The sequencing took about 20 minutes, with an initial result sent to the surgical team less than two hours after the sample reached the laboratory.
“Getting that quick diagnosis removed weeks of anxiety,” Mr Palmer said. “It wasn’t the result I wanted to hear but it means I can get on with the next phase of treatment and recovery, and get on with fighting whatever it is I’ve got to fight.”
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper described the test as “an incredible breakthrough” that would provide surgeons with vital genetic information within hours or days.
She said it was also a tribute to the UK’s life sciences sector and its expertise in genomics, adding that investment through the National Cancer Plan would help transform care for people with brain tumours.
