Doctors at Darent Valley Hospital are the first in Kent to use a new piece of technology to help diagnose lung cancer.

Called EBUS, it can also help diagnose other respiratory conditions.

Bernard Payne, 64, from Mead Crescent, Dartford, was the first patient to undergo the treatment.

Dr Majid Mushtaq said: “This is great news for our patients. We can now tell at what stage chest diseases, such as cancer, have reached and start treatment sooner.

“The procedure on Mr Payne, just a few weeks ago, went extremely well.

“We managed to take good quality biopsies and the results are available sooner.

“After the procedure, Mr Payne seemed to be very pleased with the process and appreciated how quickly it was performed.

“This procedure is now available to our patients locally. Previously, there would be nearly a two to three week wait and a journey to St Thomas’s Hospital for this procedure.”

“It has been a great team effort by the respiratory and the endoscopy department solidly backed by hospital management and I am very proud to part of that dynamic team. I am also glad that we could perform the first procedure, as planned, in July.”

Mr Payne said: “I was awake throughout the procedure and was amazed at the pin-point accuracy.

“I could see exactly what was happening on screen at every stage. I could even see the exact location each biopsy was taken. It was so interesting to watch.

“I could hear the conversation in the room which gave me complete confidence that everyone knew exactly what they were doing. It went without a hitch.”

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a new technique that helps with the diagnosis of lung cancer and other non cancerous and infective conditions such as TB, lymphoma and sarcoid.

The patient is conscious but lightly sedated while a flexible camera and ultrasound light is inserted through the throat and guided to the airways in the lung. A needle is then used to remove tissue, called EBUS-TBNA.

During this procedure a mass can be punctured several times to gain an adequate sample; doctors are also able to puncture several masses during the same session.

It is pin-point accurate, safe and provides critical information about a patient’s tissues samples.

The technology at Darent Valley means patients no longer need to be referred to other hospitals and doctors can gather all the necessary information to make an informed diagnosis, much quicker and closer to home.