Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital has confirmed it has taken delivery of Northern Ireland's first positron emission tomography (PET) scanner.

The new machine will allow doctors to see the metabolism occurring deep inside the body, showing them how the body actually works.

It is understood charitable donors put up more than £1.5m to buy and install the scanner.

It will allow faster diagnosis of tumours because malignant tumours have a much faster metabolism than benign growths.

The PET scanner can show accurately what stage the cancer is at, allowing consultants to decide whether surgery will be of benefit.

But its benefits do not end at cancer diagnosis.

The scanner can tell whether heart muscle has been irreparably damaged or look in detail at brain function.