Cancer test 'could stop 50% of advanced cases'

An annual blood test for the earliest signs of cancer could prevent around half of cases reaching an advanced stage, research has suggested.

- JANE KIRBY

An annual blood test for the earliest signs of cancer could prevent around half of cases reaching an advanced stage, research has suggested.

Scientists are currently trying to establish whether simple blood tests are effective in picking up cancer before symptoms appear, and whether they improve survival.

The NHS is currently trialling such tests, including the Galleri test and miONCO-Dx test.

Experts believe a national rollout of a universal cancer screening test may be less than a decade away.

Now, researchers writing in the journal BMJ Open say screening people annually - or every two years - could boost early detection and stop cancers reaching the stage where treatments fail.