A new NHS test can tell doctors what kind of brain tumour a patient has in about two hours.

NHS England is testing a new DNA test that can tell doctors what type of brain tumour a patient has in about two hours. It can give the result while the patient is still in surgery. Usual tests can take six to eight weeks to give full results.

The speed matters because there are about 150 types of brain tumour, and they can need different care. If doctors know the type during surgery, they can decide how much tumour to remove. Sometimes they may remove as much as possible, but in other cases they may be more careful to avoid harm to the brain.

Steve Palmer, 55, from Nottingham, got a result during his operation. He collapsed at a gym, and the test found a grade 4 glioblastoma, a serious type of brain tumour. “Getting that quick diagnosis removed weeks of anxiety,” he said. He meant that he did not have to wait and worry for weeks.

The test reads DNA, the tumour’s genetic code, from a small piece of the tumour. A machine reads the DNA, and software helps identify the tumour type. This may help patients start the right treatment sooner or join a clinical trial, a study of a possible new treatment.

NHS England is testing the method at five hospitals with teams for this kind of care, in Nottingham, Birmingham, London and Newcastle. It wants to learn how well the test works before making it a normal NHS test. Faster answers matter because they can guide surgery and reduce the time patients and families wait for information.