A new test for brain tumours can now tell doctors within two hours which kind of cancer a patient carries, cutting a diagnosis that once took up to eight weeks. The NHS has started using the genomic test, which reads the genetic code of a tumour sample, at five specialist centres around England.
The change matters because brain tumours come in more than 150 kinds, each responding differently to treatment. Knowing the exact type early lets doctors move faster on radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery. For patients, the difference is simple: instead of weeks of waiting and worry, they get answers while still on the operating table.
Steve Palmer’s Diagnosis
Steve Palmer, 55, from Nottingham, was among the first to try the test. He collapsed at the gym and was found to have a brain tumour. The quick test showed it was a grade 4 glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.
“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,” he told the BBC.
Surgeons at Queens Medical Centre, part of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, were able to get the result while they were still removing the tumour. Consultant neurosurgeon Stuart Smith, who led the operation, told the BBC the test “seems almost magical.”
“The diagnosis of brain tumours relies on molecular and genetic analysis but it can take up to six to eight weeks to get the full information back. Here it is done while we are still operating,” he said.
How the Test Works
The test sends small tissue samples from the tumour to a pathology lab. Those samples are loaded into a shoebox-sized sequencing machine made by Oxford Nanopore, which reads DNA through a tiny hole called a nanopore. Software built at the University of Nottingham, in partnership with hospital clinicians, turns the reading into a picture of the tumour’s genetic fingerprint.
Dr Simon Paine, consultant neuropathologist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, compared the two methods directly. “I’m crystal ball gazing and can do it reasonably well on a good day, but nowhere near with the clarity of the nanopore, which gives a comprehensive molecular classification,” he said.
In Steve’s case, the machine had been running for 20 minutes when the neuropathology team called the operating room to say the tumour was likely a glioblastoma.
A Pilot Across Five Centres
The NHS England pilot runs at five specialist centres: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It builds on an earlier project already running in Nottingham and Birmingham.
The test could later reach sites in Bristol, Oxford, Leeds and Manchester.
Prof Frankie Swords, NHS medical director, said the change could transform how brain tumours are diagnosed. “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,” she 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.”
She called the pilot a “world first” and said “no other health service” is rolling the technology out across multiple hospitals.
What the Test Changes
A quick diagnosis changes how surgeons operate. Some tumours are curable and need every bit of cancer removed. Others are too aggressive for surgery to help, so doctors take a gentler approach to avoid harming the brain.
The test also opens doors for clinical trials. Because it gives a full genetic profile of the tumour, patients can join studies faster than before.
Prof Dame Sue Hill, chief scientific officer for England and senior responsible officer for genomics in the NHS, said the aim is to build evidence so the test becomes standard care. “Rapid genomic testing could dramatically shorten the wait for answers for brain tumour patients and, in some cases, give surgeons vital information before an operation is even over,” she said.
“Our ambition is to build the evidence for this testing to become part of routine NHS care, so patients across the country can benefit equally from faster, more precise diagnosis.”
The Numbers Behind It
- More than 12,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour each year
- Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer
- The test cuts diagnosis from up to eight weeks to two hours
- The pilot runs at five specialist centres, with extension planned to six more sites
- The nanopore machine reads DNA through a tiny hole in a shoebox-sized device
The test is not a cure. It does not stop a tumour from growing or save lives directly. What it does is give patients and families answers sooner, and it gives doctors the information they need to act faster. That is a real gain for anyone facing the fear of a brain tumour.
For Steve Palmer, the quick result meant weeks of anxiety were removed. For others, it means starting treatment sooner and joining trials faster. The NHS is moving fast to roll this out across England, and the hope is that every patient gets the same quick answers Steve got.
Source material: “Brain tumour diagnosis cut from weeks to hours with rapid new test,” the BBC.
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