Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich gets new lung cancer diagnosing machine
A hospital now has a lung cancer diagnosing machine, so patients do not have to travel half way across London for tests.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s new equipment will save people the trip to Guy’s and St Thomas’ for the procedure.
The new piece of equipment, an Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), is a minimally invasive but highly effective procedure used to diagnose lung cancer and other diseases. The procedure can both diagnose the type of lung cancer and accurately stage the disease.
The EBUS is a small camera with a specialised ultrasound tip, which allows doctors to see the lymph nodes (glands) in the centre of the chest. The physicians are then able to take samples from the lymph nodes and send them to the laboratory to look for any abnormalities.
The Respiratory Team at QEH said: “Having the EBUS ultrasound machine at QEH will greatly improve patient care as well as helping us meet our cancer targets.
“Not only will we be able to diagnose patients in a more timely manner, but our patients will no longer have to travel all the way to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital to undergo the procedure.”
The machine cost £250,000 and was funded by the South East London Accountable Cancer Network.
Pictured is the The Respiratory Team at QEH