MORE patients are to avoid going under the knife thanks to a revolutionary new way of diagnosing lung cancer being practised in the Capital.
NHS Lothian is planning to expand its use of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), which is also a more effective way of assessing how far cancer has spread.
The technique, which involves an ultrasound camera being inserted through the mouth rather tha
n an incision in the neck, was developed in Japan and pioneered in two UK centres – Edinburgh and Cambridge.
It has recently been introduced in Glasgow after their medics travelled to the Capital to learn about the practice.
In Edinburgh it is saving between 30 and 40 people a year from an operation.
Not only is it less intrusive, it is also more effective as it is better able to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
This means in some cases, medics can take the decision not to operate and remove the cancer, as it has already spread, but rather to try to tackle it through radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
NHS Lothian is so pleased with its success that it now plans to increase the number of EBUS procedures carried out by 70 per cent.
Dr Kristopher Skwarski, respiratory physician at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said: "I think in the future EBUS will be done in the majority of teaching hospitals where they have oncology.
"It gives patients the benefit of not having to have an operation and therefore not having a general anaesthetic, which some can be too weak for.
"We've not had any complications at all so far, which is also very important."
Callum Gordon, service manager for cardiac, thoracic and respiratory services at NHS Lothian, added: "EBUS is a much more effective tool than a straightforward bronchoscopy.
"It allows specialists to remove much finer tissue samples from the areas they're looking at, and allows them to identify how far the disease has progressed.
"If the tumour has not yet spread to the lymph nodes surrounding the lungs, the patients may be suitable for surgery, which improves their chances of staying cancer-free.
"If the cancer has spread then an operation may not be the best route and other forms of treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, may be more suitable.
"EBUS gives doctors better information as to the state of the disease and helps them make treatment decisions at an earlier stage on the patient pathway."
Dr Ron Fergusson, NHS Lothian's lead lung cancer clinician, said: "There are only a handful of centres worldwide with more experience of a technique I believe will become a standard part of lung cancer management."
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www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.ukThe full article contains 455 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
