Our lung care services at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are internationally-renowned. Our specialists continually work to pioneer new methods for diagnosing conditions earlier as well as new minimally invasive treatments.
World-leading expertise in lung care
Royal Brompton Hospital has been ranked 5th in the world for lung care by US Newsweek, the American weekly news magazine.
We are specialists in helping patients with their breathing.
Advanced lung diagnostic services
Our new Royal Brompton Diagnostic Centre boasts the latest technologies to diagnose lung conditions, including interventional bronchoscopy. We also have state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities at Harefield Hospital and Wimpole Street Consulting Rooms and Diagnostic Centre.
From lung cancer to interstitial lung disease (ILD), we can help diagnose conditions at the earliest stages for the best treatment outcomes.
Lung cancer
We are one of the leading centres in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, and collaborate with cancer specialists at Royal Marsden Hospital.
Our world-renowned lung imaging and histopathology specialists can diagnose the type, location, and stage of cancer with the greatest accuracy to guide procedures that minimise harm to healthy lung tissues.
Our multidisciplinary team of lung cancer experts, including thoracic surgeons, is involved in the assessment of each patient to determine the best procedures to diagnose and treat them.
CT-guided lung cancer biopsy service
We use multiple techniques to help diagnose lung cancer. One is a minimally invasive percutaneous ‘pinhole’ technique (through the skin of the chest) to acquire biopsies, guided by CT imaging technology for the greatest accuracy in locating samples.
Audits of our percutaneous lung cancer biopsy service demonstrate 95.3% diagnostic accuracy with 78% same-day discharge rates.
Ion robotic-assisted lung cancer biopsy
Our consultants have helped develop a new minimally invasive lung cancer biopsy technique.
Using the Ion endoluminal system and its innovative 3D roadmap functionality, our consultants were the first in the country to perform robotic-assisted lung cancer biopsies. This method enables high precision for collection of tissue samples from almost any lung nodule.
We can sample bilateral or multiple lesions, take larger samples with cryobiopsy, and access nodules in places which are more difficult to reach. Ion’s capabilities mean that lung nodules can be identified at a size of 6mm or smaller, allowing for prompt delivery of treatment and potentially increased survival rates.
Tumour ablation service
Our lung tumour ablation (lung cancer treatment that does not involve surgery) service was the winner of the LaingBuisson ‘Healthcare Outcomes’ award in 2022 for our excellent patient outcomes.
We offer a range of lung tumour ablation techniques to precisely target lung cancers in the airways and/or the lung tissues. These include microwave (thermal) and cryotherapy (freezing) treatments to kill cancer cells locally, while avoiding damage to healthy tissue.
Treatment is delivered via a ‘pinhole’ technique through the skin of the chest under general anaesthetic. We have also developed a new technique called ‘awake ablation’ that enables patients unsuitable for general anaesthetic to be treated with local anaesthetic.
We are pleased with our local tumour control rate of 93.1% following percutaneous tumour ablation, with 97% of patients experiencing minor or no complications. (The local tumour rate means that cancer has not returned at the site of treatment.)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Our lung specialists have helped pioneer new treatments for COPD:
- Targeted lung denervation is a novel 90-minute treatment that targets nerves in the airways that are involved in making them constrict (narrower) and which become overactive in COPD making it difficult to breathe. The treatment improves breathing and reduces flare-ups associated with the disease.
- RejuvenAir metered cryospray is a 30-minute procedure to specifically treat COPD with chronic bronchitis. The treatment delivers liquid nitrogen to the affected airways which destroys diseased cells and reduces inflammation, enabling new healthy cells to grow in their place to help patients breathe easier.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
Our interstitial lung disease (ILD) clinic is the largest in the UK and our specialists have expertise across the full breadth of these conditions from the rarest forms to those that are more common.
These include idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis and drug-induced lung disease.
Asthma, allergies and infections
We have an international reputation for excellence and ground-breaking research in the development of asthma and allergy treatments. We can provide advanced investigations to diagnose asthma when it has been difficult to define, as well as providing treatment for the most severe asthma cases.
Fungal lung diseases can be serious and fungal sensitivity can exacerbate asthma making it severe. Our specialists can treat a range of fungal lung diseases, including complex aspergilloma secondary to COPD and sarcoidosis, as well as invasive aspergillosis. With accurate diagnosis of fungal sensitivity, they can also optimise treatment for severe asthma related to this
Cystic fibrosis
The first adult cystic fibrosis clinic in Europe was established at Royal Brompton Hospital in 1964. It is has grown to be the largest treatment centre for the condition in Europe.
Working with Imperial College London and other medical centres over the last decade, our team have pioneered new treatments, including important breakthroughs in gene therapy.
Conditions
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Asthma
Asthma is a common condition in which the airways of the lungs become irritated and inflamed, making it difficult to breathe.
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Bronchiectasis
Bronchiectasis is a lung disorder characterised by abnormally widened airways that leave the lungs vulnerable to a build-up of mucus and infection.
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Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis is a rare inflammatory condition that develops when your immune system overreacts, causing areas of excessive inflammation to develop.
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Respiratory failure
Respiratory failure is characterised by abnormal levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood due to inadequate gas exchange in the lungs.
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Chronic lung infection
Chronic lung infections are caused by viruses, bacteria or fungal organisms that affect the respiratory tract for a long time
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a group of conditions that affect your breathing and quality of life. Learn how to effectively manage your symptoms.
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Congenital lung malformation
Congenital lung malformation: Symptoms, causes and treatments
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Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a serious genetic condition in which cells in certain parts of the body produce too much mucus.
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Fungal lung diseases
Some fungi can affect the lungs and if left untreated can cause serious lung diseases, including severe cases of asthma. Learn more.
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Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
Interstitial lung disease is a group of lung conditions that cause stiffening, inflammation and progressive scarring to the lung tissue.
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Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a condition caused when the cells that make up the tissue of the lungs become abnormal and grow into a tumour.
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Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD)
Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare disorder in which the airways of the lungs become infected due to abnormalities of the cilia.
Treatments
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Diagnostic tests for lung conditions
Our advanced, high-quality diagnostic facilities can help rapidly diagnose lung conditions.
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Bronchial thermoplasty
A minimally invasive treatment for severe asthma.
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Respiratory physiotherapy
Our respiratory physiotherapy service provides comprehensive care for patients with a range of respiratory conditions.
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Domiciliary ventilation
Domiciliary (at home) ventilation is used to treat a range of common and complex neuromuscular, chest wall and respiratory conditions.
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Percutaneous cryotherapy
Percutaneous cryotherapy treatment involves freezing a lung tumour – to kill the cells in it – using a CT scanner for guidance.
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Tumour ablation for lung cancer
Tumour ablation is a procedure that uses heat or cold treatment to kill a tumour inside the lungs. Find out more about this procedure.
Investigations
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Diagnostic tests for lung conditions
Our advanced, high-quality diagnostic facilities can help rapidly diagnose lung conditions.
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Lung cancer risk assessment
Our world-leading specialists can assess your risk of developing lung cancer during a consultation.
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Lung health assessment
Our lung health assessment service is accessible to patients with a range of symptoms, including breathlessness, cough, chest pain, and wheezing.
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Sleep disorder clinic
Our experts treat all sleep disorders and can create tailored programmes of care to reduce symptoms and significantly improve quality of life.
Locations
Our experts in respiratory medicine provide care at these locations:
Discover our experts in respiratory medicine
Our lung care experts are world-leaders who offer the latest and most innovative diagnostics and treatments, supported by an experienced multi-disciplinary team