Exciting blood test results for 50 types of cancer

A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer can help speed diagnosis, according to a new study.

Results from a North American trial showed the test was able to identify a wide range of cancers, three-quarters of which had no form of screening program.

More than half of cancers are detected at an early stage, where they are easier to treat and potentially curable.

The Galleri test, made by US pharmaceutical company Grail, can detect fragments of cancer DNA that have broken off from a tumor and are circulating in the blood.

The study followed 25,000 adults from the US and Canada for one year.

Almost one in 100 of those tested had a positive result, and in 62% of them the cancer was later confirmed.

The test correctly rules out cancer in over 99% of those who test negative.

When combined with breast, bowel and cervical screening, it increased the total number of cancers detected sevenfold.

Most importantly, three-quarters of cancers detected are for those without a screening program, such as ovarian, liver, stomach, bladder and pancreas.

The blood test correctly identified the origin of the cancer in 9 out of 10 cases.

These impressive results suggest that the blood test could eventually play a major role in earlier cancer diagnosis.

Scientists not involved in the study say more evidence is needed to show whether the blood test reduces cancer deaths.

The results of the above line will be published on European Society of Medical Oncology congress in Berlin, but the full details have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Much will depend on the results of a three-year study involving 140,000 NHS patients in England, to be published next year.

The NHS previously said that if the results were successful, it would expand the tests to a further one million people.

Lead researcher Dr. Nima Nabawizadeh, an associate professor of radiation medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, said the latest data show the test could “fundamentally change the way we approach cancer screening, helping to detect many types of cancer earlier, when the chance of successful treatment or even cure is greatest.”

But Clare Turnbull, professor of translational cancer genetics at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “Data from randomized trials, with mortality as an endpoint, will be absolutely necessary to establish whether Galleri’s apparent earlier detection translates into mortality benefits.”

Sir Harpal Kumar, president of Biopharma at Grail, told the BBC: “We think these results are very exciting. The opportunity in front of us is that we can detect many more cancers – and many of the more aggressive cancers – at a much earlier stage when we have more effective and potentially curative treatments.”

Nasser Turabi from Cancer Research UK said: “Further research is needed to avoid overdiagnosing cancers that may not have caused harm. The UK’s National Screening Committee will play a critical role in reviewing the evidence and determining whether these tests should be adopted by the NHS.”