NEW scanning equipment in Huddersfield is set to cut waiting times for lung cancer patients.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK and in 2009 it killed 35,071 people nationwide.

Patients who undergo scanning to check for dangerous spreading of the disease normally spend several days in hospital and undergo invasive surgery.

But the state-of-the-art equipment to be installed at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary now means that patients can be seen much quicker as day cases.

The aim is to cut down waiting times and make testing more efficient.

The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust is set to introduce an endobronchial ultrasound or EBUS, which will be used by around 100 patients each year.

It is due to be installed in the endoscopy unit and the first tests will be carried out shortly.

HRI is one of only four centres in the Yorkshire Cancer Network to offer the service at local level along with Leeds, Mid-Yorkshire and Bradford.

Leeds had previously been providing a broad regional service.

Dr Alan Hart-Thomas headed up the project to bring the lymph-node testing to HRI.

He said: “This is a great development for the Trust as it will increase quality of care by delivering the service locally as a day case and will help to keep waiting times down for cancer patients.

“The ability to provide care like this closer to home is important for our patients and their families.”

Prior to the introduction of EBUS, sampling lymph nodes would have meant patients needed a three-day stay at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

They would have also required general anaesthetic and invasive chest surgery.

The new technology uses an ultrasound probe on the tip of a thin telescope via the mouth to look around inside the chest cavity and to locate key lymph nodes outside the air tubes using ultrasound.

Once located, a biopsy can then be directed into the node and a sample will be taken.

If the nodes are clear the chances of a cure for the lung cancer are vastly improved.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended the technique be available in new guidance on lung cancer last year.

There are around 39,000 diagnoses of lung cancer in the UK each year.

90% of lung cancer cases occur where a person is or has been a smoker.

Treatment for lung cancer is usually surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy – or different combinations of all three.

Early detection is the key and leads to much improved survival rates.