Pill-sized cameras set to help cut patient waiting lists

Cameras that people can swallow to check for bowel cancer are now being trialled in Lancashire as part of a national pilot.

The new colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) features an easy-to-swallow pill with two cameras inside that provide clear images to help clinicians detect polyps (small growths that can progress to bowel cancer) and determine if a colonoscopy is necessary.

Traditional colonoscopies involve inserting a tube into the patient’s large intestine, which can be an invasive procedure.

The PillCam capsule is the size of a large vitamin pill. Once the patient has taken the capsule and has the receiver in place to capture the images, they are free to go home. The camera takes thousands of pictures as it travels along the patient’s gut, which takes about eight hours.

Simon Wright from Leyland is one of the first patients to have the procedure. He said: I wasn’t looking forward to having a regular endoscopy which can be a little bit intrusive. So, I was really relieved when I received the letter saying I could swallow a small camera instead.

“I found it as easy to swallow as a large vitamin pill. It went down very easily with a drink of water and I didn’t feel a thing.

“I think it’s the way forward and hopefully it will become more widely available.”

Pictures from the PillCam are transmitted wirelessly to a data recorder worn by the patient at their waist. After the procedure, the pictures are uploaded, and a trained clinician will review the images for signs of abnormalities.

The CCE procedure is being piloted at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

Dr Faiyaz Mohammed, consultant in medicine and gastroenterology at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK with around 20,000 deaths each year, but if detected early, the prognosis is good.

“Our clinical endoscopist team has worked hard to get ready to launch the pilot and we are excited to get started. It has the potential to make a huge difference to our patients.”

For many patients, a traditional colonoscopy investigation may be difficult to tolerate. Alternatives such as colon capsule endoscopy offer clinicians and patients a genuine choice of investigation in some circumstances.

Dr Mohammed continues: “Each year, more than two million endoscopies are scheduled to take place through the NHS, but the level of demand combined with limited clinical capacity has resulted in a backlog. This has been made worse by COVID-19 but this new PillCam technology is less invasive and will help diagnose cases of cancer early.”

NHS England is supporting the introduction of colon capsule endoscopy as part of its COVID-19 recovery response. One major benefit in the context of COVID-19 is that the procedure is non-aerosol generating, thereby reducing the risk to both the patient and healthcare professional.  It can be delivered outside the endoscopy suite in a separate clinical room, in both primary and secondary care.