Thousands of patients in England will soon be given “ingenious” tiny cameras to swallow to check for cancer.
The technology, delivered in a pill-size capsule, takes images as it passes through the bowel and transmits them to a device worn in a shoulder bag. The camera can then be flushed away.
A traditional endoscopy means patients need to go to hospital to have a tube inserted.
Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the National Health Service, said people could go about their day while they were checked for cancer.
“That’s why we’re now trialling these ingenious capsule cameras to allow more people to undergo cancer investigations quickly and safely,” he said.
“What sounds like sci-fi is now becoming a reality, and as these minute cameras pass through your body, they take two pictures per second checking for signs of cancer and other conditions like Crohn’s disease.”
An initial group of 11,000 NHS patients in England will receive the capsule cameras.
Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS's clinical director for cancer, said he hopes the technology saves lives.
"Every year in England, we diagnose around 42,000 people with bowel cancer, that's more than 100 people a day," he said.
"We think that this camera test might be a better option than waiting for a normal colonoscopy.”
Cancer Research UK says approximately 16,600 people die from bowel cancer in the UK every year.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
