Patients facing suspected lung cancer could get answers sooner under a new NHS pilot using artificial intelligence and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier, with fewer invasive tests.
The new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, and a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with far greater precision than standard techniques.
The pilot comes alongside plans for the NHS to expand lung cancer screening, ensuring every eligible person is invited for checks in less than five years, no matter where they live, continuing the Government’s drive to tackle inequalities in cancer outcomes as part of the National Cancer Plan.
Lung cancer contributes to a whole year of the nine-year life expectancy gap between richer and poorer parts of England, and the National Cancer Plan will prioritise solving inequalities to ensure patients can get fairer and faster access to cancer care.
The NHS’s top cancer doctor hailed the project at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust as “a glimpse of the future of cancer detection”, combining cutting-edge AI with robotic technology that can travel deep inside the lungs to reach tiny, hard-to-access nodules.
The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm — around the size of a grain of rice — hidden deep in the lung and often too risky or difficult to access using existing methods.
Once AI has highlighted higher-risk areas, doctors can take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
For many patients, weeks of repeat scans and procedures could be replaced with a single, half-hour cancer biopsy, reducing prolonged uncertainty and avoiding more invasive surgery.
If shown to be effective, the technology could help transform lung cancer diagnosis as the NHS screening programme increasingly identifies more people with very small nodules that would previously have gone undetected until much later.
More than 1.5 million people have attended an NHS lung health check since 2021, helping identify thousands of cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage and increasing the need for safe, precise biopsy techniques like robotic bronchoscopy.
The expansion is set to see the NHS invite 1.4 million people for a lung cancer check next year alone. The programme is expected to diagnose up to 50,000 cancers by 2035 and at least 23,000 at an earlier stage, potentially saving thousands of lives.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, said: “Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is incredibly stressful for patients and their families.
“Our lung cancer screening programme means that we are picking up more cancers at an early stage than ever, and by bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we’re bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies.
“This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection. Innovation like this is exactly how we can help diagnose more cancers faster, so treatment can be most effective, and why the NHS continues to lead the way in bringing new technology safely into frontline care.”
Wes Streeting, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, the NHS saved my life using robotic technology. That experience showed me what’s possible when brilliant clinicians have access to cutting-edge innovation – it saves lives.
“Lung cancer is one of the biggest killers in the UK, taking an extra year of people’s lives in the poorest parts of the country. This pilot will help to catch it earlier, replacing weeks of invasive testing with a single targeted procedure. For patients waiting anxiously for answers, this speed and precision can be life-changing.
“This is our National Cancer Plan in action – shifting from late diagnosis to early intervention and from analogue to digital, ensuring every patient can benefit from the blend of human care alongside game changing technology, no matter where they live.”
Dr Stephen Harden, President of the Royal College of Radiologists, commented: “This pilot is a good example of how AI could improve patient care when used to assist highly trained doctors. Spotting lung cancer earlier is vital to help patients live longer, healthier lives. Expanding lung cancer screening across the country is an important step to tackle health inequalities, but without more doctors to interpret more scans, it could add to diagnostic delays. We hope to see this plan supported by investment in the radiology workforce, so that patients can really see the benefit.”
