Blood test for lung cancer will personalise treatment

As NHS gives the green light to world-first procedure

- STORM NEWTON

People with lung cancer will be offered a new blood test designed to speed up access to targeted treatments and avoid unnecessary biopsies, officials have announced. About 15,000 patients a year are expected to benefit from the world-first rollout, according to NHS England.

The test, known as a liquid biopsy, uses a blood sample to look for tiny fragments of tumour DNA and detect mutations. This allows patients to access therapies tailored to the genetic profile of their disease much faster.

The test will also be used to check breast cancer patients for a wider range of genetic variants to see if they are eligible for targeted treatments, officials said.

Experts are exploring how liquid biopsies could be used for more forms of cancer.

Lung cancer is usually diagnosed with a combination of scans and biopsies, during which specialists take a small sample of lung tissue to examine under a microscope.

While tissue samples can be sent for genomic testing – which show genetic mutations linked to cancer development – liquid biopsies mean patients get results faster.