NHS trial takes place on new DNA blood test that can detect 50 different types of cancer

A ‘revolutionary’ blood test is being trialled in the NHS, which is capable of detecting more than 50 types of cancer prior to symptoms developing.

The trial is set to be the world’s largest study of this ground-breaking technology.  The test, known as Galleri, measures levels of ctDNA, fragments of genetic code that leak from tumours into the bloodstream.

The NHS intends to recruit 140,000 volunteers to check their ctDNA, with the first results from the study due by 2023, before the tests is rolled out to another one million people in the UK.

The NHS have stressed that the test is not designed to replace screening programmes, such as those for cervical and breast cancer.

The new trial is focusing on looking at how good the test is at diagnosing cancer early in people who are symptom-free.  However, another study, called SIMPLIFY and being led by the University of Oxford, will look at how good the test is at determining whether people who have symptoms of cancer actually have the disease.

In the US, healthcare companies are charging £620 for the test.  For the trial, the NHS has negotiated a discount, although the cost has not yet been revealed.

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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