Soon it will be enough to swallow a tablet the size of a fish oil capsule to test for colon cancer. This can be done independently and at home. The tiny device, called PillCam (“camera pill”), contains a two-centimeter capsule with a video camera and a transmitter that sends the image of the internal organs to a receiver attached to a belt worn by the patient. It is already being used by endoscopists at University College London and in several medical institutions in Scotland. Trials involving 11,000 patients in 40 regions of England are now starting. The capsule remains in the body for five to eight hours and is eliminated in the stool. The procedure is completely safe and painless. In addition to detecting cancerous tumors, it can also detect signs of other diseases, such as Crohn’s disease. The new method was called “capsule endoscopy”.
Until now, endoscopy has been performed under general anesthesia. Capsule endoscopy, like traditional endoscopy, involves pre-cleaning the stomach with a laxative and two visits to a healthcare facility – to pick up the device and return it with the images. “Science fiction is becoming reality. A tiny camera is moving through the human body, taking two pictures a second,” says Simon Stevens, head of the National Health Service in England. “The future of medicine is closer to home,” says Professor Andrew Goddard, President of the Royal College of Physicians. “This is the long-term vision of the National Health Service. As technology advances, more research will be done at home.” The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend.
Israel is vaccinating its population against coronavirus faster than other countries. How do they do it? The Director of Oncology for the National Health Service, Professor Peter Johnson, says healthcare professionals are concerned about an increase in advanced cancers as a result of the reduction in clinical screening due to the coronavirus. Renowned British oncologist Professor Martin Marshall says he is eagerly awaiting the results of trials of a new method. He points out that many people avoid invasive diagnostic procedures, and capsule colonoscopy offers a convenient alternative. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK – an average of 16,600 deaths per year. Early diagnosis is crucial to the treatment of oncological diseases.
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