Patients with suspected lung cancer may soon get a rapid diagnosis thanks to a pioneering NHS pilot that combines AI and robotics to reach cancers that are notoriously difficult to detect.
For thousands of patients each year, a suspected lung cancer diagnosis can involve weeks of scans, repeat appointments and invasive tests – all while living with uncertainty. A new NHS pilot aims to change that timeline dramatically.
Led by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the programme uses advanced AI software and robotic bronchoscopy to identify and biopsy tiny lung nodules in a single, minimally invasive procedure. The goal is simple but transformative: deliver faster, safer and more accurate lung cancer diagnosis.
UK Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting believes the technology can transform care for the disease: “When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, the NHS saved my life using robotic technology. That experience showed me what’s possible when brilliant clinicians have access to cutting-edge innovation – it saves lives.
“Lung cancer is one of the biggest killers in the UK, taking an extra year of people’s lives in the poorest parts of the country. This pilot will help to catch it earlier, replacing weeks of invasive testing with a single targeted procedure. For patients waiting anxiously for answers, this speed and precision can be life-changing.
“This is our National Cancer Plan in action – shifting from late diagnosis to early intervention and from analogue to digital, ensuring every patient can benefit from the blend of human care alongside game-changing technology, no matter where they live.”
How AI and robotics work together
The new approach starts with artificial intelligence analysing CT lung scans. The AI rapidly flags small nodules and assesses which ones are most likely to be cancerous, helping clinicians prioritise areas of concern.
Once these high-risk spots are identified, doctors use a robotic bronchoscopy system – essentially a highly flexible robotic camera – to navigate deep inside the lungs.
Guided with exceptional precision, the robot can reach nodules as small as 6 millimetres, roughly the size of a grain of rice. These nodules are often hidden deep within the lung tissue and are difficult or risky to access using standard biopsy techniques.
Doctors can then take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
Early results show promising impact
The pilot follows successful early testing, with around 300 robotic biopsy procedures already carried out.
Of those patients, 215 went on to receive cancer treatment after confirmation of disease. Others were spared more complex or invasive procedures after their results showed benign findings.
For many patients, this technology replaces weeks — or even months — of repeat scans and diagnostic uncertainty with a single, half-hour biopsy. It also reduces the need for surgical biopsies, which carry higher risks and longer recovery times.
Expanding access
From January, the pilot will formally launch at Guy’s and St Thomas’, with planned expansion to King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.
This will allow more patients referred with suspected lung cancer to benefit from earlier and more precise diagnosis.
If the results continue to be positive, the evidence generated could support a national commissioning policy, paving the way for more consistent access to robotic bronchoscopy across the NHS.
Dr Anne Rigg, Medical Director for Cancer and Surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, added: “This pilot brings together AI and robotics as genuinely disruptive tools to simplify and shorten the lung cancer diagnostic pathway. By combining AI-enabled risk stratification with highly precise robotic biopsy, we are reducing delays and unnecessary steps to diagnosis.
“Crucially, this work is being co-designed with patients and frontline clinical teams, ensuring that the pathway is not only faster, but safer, more equitable, and centred on the patient experience. By improving access to advanced diagnostics, we can help reduce variation in care for all patients, regardless of where they are referred from.
“Together, these changes have the potential to support earlier diagnosis and treatment for more patients, which is fundamental to improving long-term outcomes in lung cancer.”
Supporting a growing screening programme
The pilot arrives at a crucial moment for lung cancer diagnosis in England. Since 2021, more than 1.5 million people have attended NHS lung health checks, helping identify thousands of cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage.
Next year alone, the NHS plans to invite 1.4 million people for lung cancer screening. By 2035, the programme is expected to diagnose up to 50,000 cancers, including at least 23,000 at an earlier stage, potentially saving thousands of lives.
As screening identifies more very small nodules, the need for safe, accurate biopsy techniques becomes increasingly urgent.
Tackling inequality in cancer outcomes
Lung cancer accounts for a full year of the nine-year life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest areas of England. Expanding screening and improving access to cutting-edge diagnostic tools are central to the National Cancer Plan’s ambition to reduce these inequalities.
NHS leadership has described the project as “a glimpse of the future of cancer detection”, highlighting how AI and robotics together could reshape lung cancer diagnosis for the next generation of patients.
If successful, this pilot could mark a major step forward – not just in technology, but in delivering fairer, faster and more accurate cancer care for everyone.
