Why This Matters: A genomic test being piloted by the NHS could reduce the wait for some brain tumour diagnoses from up to eight weeks to about two hours. The test is designed to provide information while a patient is still undergoing surgery.
What has been developed?
The test was developed by the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Nottingham. It analyses the genetic code of a small sample taken from a tumour and can identify forms of cancer within hours.
NHS England has begun using the diagnostic tool in a pilot involving five specialist centres in the UK. The service is expected to be introduced more widely after the pilot.
How the test works
Small tissue samples are sent from the tumour to a pathology laboratory. There, they are placed in a shoebox-sized sequencing machine made by Oxford Nanopore.
DNA molecules pass through a nanopore, described in the source as a tiny hole. The resulting genetic information reveals the tumour’s unique genome, which helps define its type. This approach is intended to provide faster and more accurate results than examining a tumour under a microscope alone.
Why faster results could matter
The NHS says the test could reduce diagnosis waiting times from up to eight weeks to two hours. Faster information could allow some patients to begin treatment earlier and may provide earlier access to clinical trials for certain patients.
Prof Frankie Swords, the NHS medical director, described the test as having the potential to transform how brain tumours are diagnosed. Stuart Smith, a consultant neurosurgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and co-lead of the university’s research centre of excellence, said having detailed tumour information while decisions are being made in the operating theatre was “gamechanging”.
Where it is being piloted
The first specialist centres are:
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- King’s College Hospital
- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The test is then expected to be brought to sites in Bristol, Oxford, Leeds and Manchester.
What remains uncertain
The source describes the test as being piloted, so it is not yet presented as a universally available diagnostic service. The report does not provide detailed accuracy data, the number of patients involved, or results from a completed clinical evaluation.
The test may also be relevant only to certain patients and tumour types, as the source refers to early access to clinical trials for “certain patients”.
What happens next?
NHS England will continue piloting the tool in five specialist centres before considering wider rollout. The stated aim is to make rapid genomic information available during surgery and reduce the uncertainty associated with waiting for a diagnosis.
Bottom Line
A new genomic brain tumour test is being tested across five NHS specialist centres. It can analyse tumour DNA in hours, potentially reducing waits of up to eight weeks, but its wider use remains dependent on the pilot and further evaluation.
Source
This report is based on information published by The Guardian Science.
