Patients facing the agonising wait for answers after a suspected lung cancer diagnosis could soon benefit from a pioneering NHS pilot using artificial intelligence and robotic technology to detect the disease earlier and more accurately.
The trailblazing project, led by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, combines advanced AI software with robotic bronchoscopy to help clinicians identify and biopsy tiny lung nodules that can be difficult to reach using standard techniques.
A smarter, more precise approach
The new pathway begins with AI software that rapidly analyses lung scans and flags nodules most likely to be cancer. Once higher-risk areas are identified, doctors use a robotic bronchoscopy system — an ultra-thin, shape-sensing tube that travels deep into the lungs — to guide biopsy tools with far greater precision than traditional methods.
Remarkably, the robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm, around the size of a grain of rice. These small, hard-to-access nodules have often been too risky or technically challenging to biopsy using existing approaches.
With this technology, what might previously have meant weeks of repeat scans, uncertainty and invasive procedures could instead become a single, half-hour biopsy. Tissue samples are then sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, described the pilot as “a glimpse of the future of cancer detection”, highlighting how innovation is helping diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage, when treatment is most effective.
Supporting earlier diagnosis through screening
The Pilot comes ahead of a new National Cancer Plan and alongside confirmation that the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme in England will continue to be rolled out to the original timescale, with full roll out to the target population by 2030.
Since 2021, more than 1.5 million people have attended an NHS lung health check, leading to thousands of cancers being detected at an earlier, more treatable stage. Next year alone, 1.4 million people are expected to be invited for a lung cancer check.
As screening identifies more very small nodules that would previously have gone undetected, safe and precise diagnostic tools such as robotic bronchoscopy will become increasingly important.
The team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ has already carried out around 300 robotic biopsy procedures during initial testing. Of these patients, 215 have gone on to receive cancer treatment, while others were spared more complex procedures after receiving benign results. From January, the pilot will formally expand to include King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.
If successful, the project will help the NHS build the evidence needed to develop a national commissioning policy, paving the way for more consistent access to robotic bronchoscopy across the country.
Our response
Dr Jesme Fox, Medical Director at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said:
“We are delighted that the 2030 timeline for the full roll out of the Lung Cancer Screening Programme in England has been reaffirmed. Screening for people at high risk of lung cancer, with low dose CT chest scans, works. The Programme has already saved thousands of lives by picking up lung cancer at an early stage, when curative treatment is possible. So, if you receive an invitation to take part in the Lung Cancer Screening Programme, do not ignore it.
We also welcome the announcement of this pilot project at Guy’s and St Thomas’s, using AI and robotic technology to more accurately and more quickly diagnose lung cancer.
Lung cancer, for many, remains a devastating disease. These initiatives mean that more people affected by this disease will be picked up earlier, be diagnosed faster and so have a better outcome from treatment.”
Why this matters
Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death in the UK. Too often, it is diagnosed at a late stage when treatment options are more limited.
Innovations like this pilot, alongside the continued expansion of lung cancer screening, represent real progress. By detecting cancer earlier and reducing the time people spend waiting for answers, we can improve outcomes and reduce the emotional toll on patients and their families.
If you receive an invitation for a lung health check, please attend. It could save your life.
To find out more about lung cancer screening and the support we offer, visit roycastle.org.