Lung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death worldwide and it is responsible for over 40,000 deaths annually in the UK alone. The process of diagnosing lung cancer however often requires several scans and biopsies before a treatment decision can be reached. In the past this may even have included invasive surgery to biopsy lymph nodes in the chest, simply to reach a diagnosis.

Endobronchial ultrasound is a relatively new technique offered at TPC by Dr Navani and Professor Janes. It allows a biopsy to be taken from deep within the chest under mild sedation and represents a real breakthrough in the rapid diagnosis of lung cancer. An important recent trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine by Dr Navani and Professor Janes has demonstrated that endobronchial ultrasound can halve the time to a treatment decision in patients with suspected lung cancer. Intriguingly the trial also showed that the procedure can improve the survival of patients with lung cancer by allowing patients to receive a diagnosis rapidly and starting the procedure as early as possible.

Endobronchial ultrasound is available at TPC via Dr Navani and Professor Janes.
Link to article in the Lancet RM (open access) :
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(15)00029-6/fulltext

Link to Professor Janes' interview on radio 4 at 1hour 50 mins:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0510b6n