Blood test to detect 50 types of cancer could be given to 1m people on NHS

A blood test which can detect 50 cancers before symptoms start to show could be offered to a million people in a pilot programme from next summer, according to the head of the NHS.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said the Galleri test has the potential to “transform cancer care forever”, according to reports.

The liquid biopsy detects tiny fragments of tumour DNA in the bloodstream and alerts doctors as to whether a cancer signal has been detected and predicts where in the body that signal may have originated.

If early results are successful, a pilot screening programme involving one million patients over two years is scheduled to begin next summer.

The test is expected to find 5,000 potential cases of the disease every year.

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Source: The Guardian, 15 June 2023