The Royal Oldham Hospital has become the first NHS hospital to implement a new treatment for bowel cancer.

More than 40 patients in the hospital have now been treated using the "Speedboat Inject" and "CROMA" technologies created by UK-based medical technology company Creo Medical.

The technologies allow for an endoscopic surgery device, which is a long, thin tube inserted into the body through the mouth, to cut soft lesions using radio frequency, and stop bleeding using microwave energy.

A Royal Oldham consultant has said the device cuts the chance of lesion recurrence by 15 times.

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Creo Medical says each "Speedboat Submucosal Dissection" procedure has been demonstrated to save the NHS up to £10,000, or a 50 per cent saving, compared to traditional surgery, as well as shorter hospital stays.

Dr Sal Khalid is a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Oldham.

He has already completed more than 15 procedures using the technology.

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Dr Khalid said: “I’m very pleased with the outcomes the Speedboat Inject device is facilitating for our patients, allowing our advanced endoscopists to remove complex high-risk lesions and even early cancer without the patient requiring invasive surgical treatment.

“Almost all bowel cancers start as a lesion, and so having the technology now available to us to cut deeper and more safely through the layers of the bowel when removing a lesion enables us to ensure that it’s completely removed and reduce the chances of patients requiring an operation.

“It’s already clear that this will have a lasting effect, with the treatment reducing the chances of recurrence from 15 per cent to one per cent and potentially providing a cure for lesions containing early cancer without requiring operation.

“Indeed, only three months into the new service we are already recording a reduction in the waiting lists not only across our endoscopy suites but, perhaps most importantly, in terms of those waiting for the surgical treatment of more invasive cancers.

“The best part about the new service is being able to call a patient a few days later and tell them that they have had a curative outcome – that the lesion has been removed with the necessary margins not to have to worry about it anymore.

"That was rarely the case before we introduced Speedboat Inject and the advanced energy.

“The establishment of this service will help us maintain our status as one of the leading advanced endoscopy services in the country and help us move towards our goal of prevention, early detection, and treatment of bowel cancer.”

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The technology uses two types of electrical energy- bipolar radiofrequency blades for precise cutting and microwave energy to precisely coagulate or stop bleeding.

Now the hospital plans to expand the service to more conditions by training endoscopists to perform a wider array of procedures using the technology.

Craig Gulliford, CEO of Creo Medical, said: “Oldham provides a phenomenal model for what’s possible when a hospital immediately recognises the potential of the device and implements the right pathways and resource to maximise its impact.

“To know that there are 40 patients in and around Oldham who have already benefited from our technology and the excellent service provided by Dr Khalid and his team is incredibly gratifying, with the knock-on positive effects on waiting lists and hospital resources now well established.

“To hear plans for the further expansion of the service is also excellent news and we look forward to supporting the hospital in every way we can.”