Blood test for 50 cancers delivers 'exciting' results

A BLOOD test that screens for more than 50 cancers and which is being trialled in the NHS is correct in 62% of cases where it thinks people may have the disease, a study has found.

- PRESS ASSOCIATION REPORTERS

The Galleri test, which can be given annually, looks for the "fingerprint" of dozens of deadly cancers, often picking up signs before symptoms even appear.

It works by identifying DNA in the bloodstream that has been shed by cancer cells, giving the earliest signs somebody may have the disease.

Now, a key US trial on the test has shown that Galleri is highly accurate in ruling out cancer in people without the disease, while also picking up cancer cases at an early stage, when the disease is more treatable.

Of those people found to have a "cancer signal" detected in their blood, 61.6% went on to be diagnosed with cancer, the findings of the Pathfinder 2 study showed.

And in 92% of cases, the test could pinpoint in which organ or tissue the cancer arose, meaning time and money could be saved on other scans and other tests.