Capsule camera which patients can swallow to get checked for cancer are being trialed across England, the National Health Service (NHS). For capsule colonoscopy, the patient swallows a pill camera that acquires images as peristalsis propels it through the gastrointestinal tract. The images are transmitted to a recording device and then converted to a video format for viewing on a computer. Pictures or videos transmitted from inside their body during the painless procedure will help doctors judge whether the person has cancer.

The imaging technology, in a capsule no bigger than a pill, can provide a diagnosis within hours. Known as a “colon capsule endoscopy”, the cameras are expected to help speed up the checks, catching more cancers early when they are easier to treat.

The capsule camera normally takes five to eight hours and provides full images of the bowel with information sent to a data recorder in a shoulder bag, so patients can go about their day. The NHS said its Long Term Plan is committed to increasing the number of tumors caught at an early stage from half to three in four.

UK Health Minister Jo Churchill said that as part of additional investment in the NHS, an extra 1 billion pounds will be used to “boost diagnosis and treatment in the year ahead”, which includes investing in cutting-edge imaging technology such as this, making cancer screening less invasive and more convenient for patients.

“From the cutting-edge technology of these colon capsules to COVID protected hubs and chemo home deliveries, the NHS has fast tracked new ways of treating and diagnosing cancer – all while responding to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Professor Peter Johnson, NHS clinical director for cancer.

Infection control measures required to make endoscopies COVID-secure mean they take much longer to do, which has reduced the number of people who can undergo the life-saving checks.