From weeks to hours - the rapid new test transforming brain tumour diagnosis

A rapid new test for brain tumours that the NHS has started using can slash the time it takes for an accurate diagnosis from up to eight weeks to two hours.

The test, which is used by doctors to diagnose which type of tumour a patient has, should mean patients can start treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy sooner, and are spared weeks of uncertainty.

Steve Palmer, 55, from Nottingham, is among those to benefit from the new technology - and it meant surgeons were able to get his result while they were still operating to remove his tumour.

"Getting that quick diagnosis removed weeks of anxiety," he told the BBC.

NHS England said that the genomic test, which works by quickly analysing the genetic code of a sample of the tumour, will be piloted in specialist centres around England.

There are around 150 different types of brain tumour ranging from slow-growing to aggressive cancers, each of which can respond differently to treatment.

Steve was diagnosed with a brain tumour after he collapsed at the gym, and the test revealed it to be a grade 4 glioblastoma.

"It wasn't the result I wanted to hear but it means I can get on with the next phase of treatment and recovery, and get on with fighting whatever it is I've got to fight," he told the BBC.