Exciting results from a blood test for 50 types of cancer

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

Results from a study in North America show that the test was able to identify a wide range of cancers, three-quarters of which have no screening program.

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

The Galleri test from the American pharmaceutical company Grail can detect fragments of cancerous DNA that have broken out of a tumor and are circulating in the blood. It is currently being trialled by the NHS.

The study followed 25,000 adults from the US and Canada for a year, with almost one in 100 getting a positive result. In 62% of these cases, cancer was later confirmed.

The lead researcher Dr. Nima Nabavizadeh, an associate professor of radiation medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, said the data shows the test could “fundamentally change” their approach to cancer screening.

He explained that it could help detect many cancers “earlier, when the chances of successful treatment or even a cure are greatest.”

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

When combined with breast, colon, lung and cervical cancer screening, the total number of cancers detected increased sevenfold.

Crucially, three-quarters of the cancers discovered were those for which there is no screening program, such as ovarian, liver, stomach, bladder and pancreatic cancer.

In nine out of ten cases, the origin of the cancer was correctly determined by the blood test.

These impressive results suggest that the blood test could ultimately play an important role in diagnosing cancer earlier.

But scientists not involved in the research say more evidence is needed to show whether the blood test reduces cancer deaths.

Clare Turnbull, professor of translational cancer genetics at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: “Data from randomized trials with mortality as an endpoint will be essential to determine whether Galleri’s apparent earlier detection results in mortality benefits.”

Topline results will be published on European Society for Medical Oncology congress on Saturday in Berlin, but full details have yet to be published in a trade journal.

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

The NHS had previously said it would expand testing to a further million people if the results were successful.

Sir Harpal Kumar, president of biopharma at Grail, called the results “very compelling.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “The vast majority of people who die from cancer do so because we detect their cancer too late.”

Many cancers are discovered when they are “already very advanced,” he added, explaining that the goal is to “move to earlier detection when we have the opportunity to use treatments that are much more effective and potentially more curative.”

However, Naser Turabi from Cancer Research UK warned that further research was needed to “avoid overdiagnosis of cancers that may not have caused any harm”.

“Britain The National Screening Committee will “play a crucial role in reviewing the evidence and deciding whether these tests should be adopted by the NHS,” he added.