New NHS Brain Tumour Test Delivers Results in Hours Instead of Eight Weeks

A Diagnosis in the Time It Takes to Watch a Movie

A new brain tumour test can give doctors crucial answers while a patient is still on the operating table — potentially cutting diagnosis times from as long as eight weeks down to just two hours. For patients and families who have endured the agonising limbo of waiting to learn what kind of tumour they're dealing with, that difference is almost incomprehensible. It's not just a medical milestone. It's a human one.

Currently, patients typically endure a six to eight-week wait to find out the type of brain tumour they have. This new diagnostic tool, which assesses DNA from a sample taken from the tumour, delivers results in approximately two hours. That long wait has been described as "traumatic" for patients and can delay chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The new test has the potential to eliminate that delay entirely.

How the Technology Works

The process uses a small tissue sample placed in a shoebox-sized sequencing machine made by Oxford Nanopore, which reads DNA molecules through tiny pores, revealing the tumour's genetic signature. The NHS pathway pairs this machine with specialist software developed at the University of Nottingham. The method has been given a name that reflects its purpose: ROBIN, which stands for Rapid Nanopore Brain Intraoperative Classification.

There are estimated to be between 100 and 150 different types of brain and central nervous system tumours, ranging from slow-growing to aggressive cancers that respond differently to treatment. Previously, patients had to rely on diagnostic techniques such as CT and MRI scans, which are unable to offer accurate tumour type diagnosis, followed by a sample of their tumour being examined by microscope in a lab — a process that can take weeks. The new genomic test cuts through that complexity with speed and precision. Researchers found the test was "in concordance with standard of care" for 90 per cent of cases.

What It Means for Patients and Surgeons

A faster diagnosis means patients can start the right treatment or access clinical trials sooner — and for some patients, it could mean surgeons can make potentially life-changing decisions about their surgery while on the operating table. That last point is especially significant. Knowing the tumour type mid-surgery can directly influence how much tissue a surgeon safely removes, potentially improving outcomes on the spot.

More than 12,000 people receive a primary brain tumour diagnosis in the UK every year, with the disease remaining the most deadly cancer killer of children and adults under the age of 40. Researchers from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust assessed the new test on 50 patients before the NHS moved forward with its rollout plans.

Where the Pilot Is Rolling Out

NHS England launched the pilot across five specialist centres: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital, and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The initiative builds on earlier groundwork already underway in Nottingham and Birmingham, and health officials plan to extend the rollout to sites in Bristol, Oxford, Leeds, and Manchester.

NHS medical director Professor Frankie Swords said that for people with suspected brain tumours, waiting weeks for answers can be agonising for them and their families, and that this remarkable rapid test has the potential to completely transform how brain tumours are diagnosed. If the pilot succeeds and the rollout continues as planned, what is currently a world-first could become the new standard of care — and the weeks of dread that once followed a brain surgery biopsy may soon be a thing of the past.