Blood test in the UK discovers 50 types of cancer – 02/06/2023 – Equilibrium and Health

Tests of a blood test to detect more than 50 types of cancer, carried out by the NHS (British National Health Service), have shown promising results, according to the responsible researchers.

The test proved to be able to correctly identify two out of three types of cancer in 5,000 people who went to the doctor with suspicious symptoms in England and Wales.

In 85% of positive cases, the test also identified the original location of the cancer.

Dubbed the Galleri test, the test identifies distinct mutations in fragments of the genetic code that result from different types of cancer.

The technology helps detect treatable cancers early, which can save lives.

The test is still a “work in progress”, according to researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK, but it could increase the number of cancers identified.

Patients often have symptoms, such as weight loss, with a variety of possible causes, and need to have multiple tests and many hospital visits.

More than 350 people who participated in the study – the largest of its kind in patients with suspicious symptoms of cancer – were subsequently diagnosed with cancer using traditional methods such as imaging tests and biopsies.

The tests still had the following results:

• 75% of people with a positive blood test result were later diagnosed with cancer
• 2.5% of those with a negative result were diagnosed with cancer

While not accurate enough to “rule out or rule out cancer”, the test was actually helpful for patients, researcher leading the study, Mark Middleton, told BBC News.

“The test was 85% accurate in detecting the source of the cancer, and that can be really helpful because it’s often not immediately obvious when you have the patient in front of you what test is needed to see if their symptoms are indeed cancer.” he said.

“With this test preview, we can decide which tests to order next and ensure we’re getting the test right the first time.”

The results will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago and published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

MORE RESEARCH

The NHS has also been using the Galleri test, developed by the Californian company Grail, on thousands of people without symptoms to see if it can detect hidden cancers.

Initial results are expected later this year – and if successful, the NHS in England plans to extend the rollout to a further million people in 2024 and 2025.

The test is particularly good at finding hard-to-detect cancers, such as head and neck, bowel, lung, pancreas, and throat cancers.

“The study’s findings suggest that this test can help clinicians make clinical assessments, but much more research is needed in a larger study to determine whether it can improve medical assessment and eventually patient outcomes,” he said. David Crosby, MD, Cancer Research UK.

“This study is the first step towards testing a new way to identify cancer as quickly as possible, being pioneered by the NHS. Early detection of cancer is vital and this test could help us save thousands of lives”, added Peter Johnson, NHS national cancer director.

This text was originally published here.