A “HOLY grail” blood test can pick up cancer cases with 84 per cent accuracy – even among patients who have been falsely reassured they don’t have the disease.
The test looks for the “fingerprint” of more than 50 deadly cancers, often picking up signs before symptoms appear.
The Galleri blood test screens for DNA fragments of over 50 cancers and can even pinpoint the organ affectedCredit: Getty
A NHS trial shows it correctly detected cancer in people reassured they didn’t have the diseaseCredit: PA
An trial showed the test correctly identified cancer in people previously thought to have had “false positive” results.
Experts from the University of and diagnostics firm Grail found that a third of people flagged as potentially having cancer after a blood test, but then told they did not, actually did have the disease.
In most cases, it also accurately detected which organ or tissue the cancer was in.
Grail say the blood test – – can be given annually.
NHS officials have previously hailed the test a potential “gamechanger”, while experts said the new findings suggest the test should be rolled out more widely and could help GPs give patients to the right scans.
It follows a US trial of over 23,000 patients.
Results published last week showed that when the test was used on patients without symptoms, 62 per cent found to have a “cancer signal” and went on to be diagnosed with the disease through standard tests.
Now, a new study based on 6,238 NHS patients, adds weight to hopes that the test could be used for early detection of cancer.
All the patients in the study had symptoms that their thought may be cancer and were referred for diagnostic scans and tests.
Patients also had blood samples analysed by the Galleri test and its predictions were compared with the diagnosis obtained by standard NHS care.
GPs did not have access to Galleri blood test results and could not use them to choose what scans people were given.
The results showed that 35.4 per cent (28 of 79 people) reported as a false positive were actually diagnosed with cancer within two years.
And in 27 of the 28 people, Galleri was able to pinpoint the organ or tissue with cancer.
In more than half of cases, the cancer type people had didn’t match the tests and scans NHS doctors thought they needed based on their symptoms.
We have something that could really help GPs send patients to the right clinic quickly so that they have the right investigations quickly, and therefore get diagnosed quickly
Sir Harpal Kumar, Grail
This suggests the test could be a useful tool for diagnosing people and helping GPs direct patients to the right scans.
Sir Harpal Kumar, president of international business and biopharma at Grail, and former head of , said: “This robust data demonstrates the potential benefit of the Galleri test as a diagnostic tool for individuals presenting with symptoms of cancer, particularly where those symptoms are non-specific.
“Over two years, of the people who were called false positive, over a third of them actually were diagnosed with cancer in that two-year period, of which over half were in the first nine months.
“This suggests it wasn’t a false positive at all.
Grail says its test has 84 per cent accuracyCredit: Galleri
“And, if you add those additional cases back in, it takes the positive predictive value (of the test) up to 84 per cent, which is remarkable.
“To put that into context, we currently refer people for urgent and only 6 per cent of them are diagnosed with cancer.
“So to have a test that could possibly get you up to 84 per cent, we would argue, would be a very valuable addition and enable much more efficient diagnostic investigation.
“The second key conclusion is that, of those additional cases that were turned from false positive to true positive, in all but one, the predicted type of cancer was correct.
Cancer screenings in England
CATCHING cancer early gives you the best chance of survival, and a huge part of that is attending regular screenings.
programmes can help diagnose the disease, or your risk of it, and improve the likelihood of successful .
There are three national screening programmes in : cervical screening, breast screening and bowel screening.
“If you are eligible, please make every effort to have your screening test as it can detect a problem early, before you have any symptoms,” the NHS says.
“Finding out about a problem early can mean that treatment is more effective.”
Cervical screening
This is offered in England to people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 and is routinely carried out every three years up to the age of 49, and every five from 50 to 64.
Depending on the result, people may be recalled earlier.
During a cervical screening, samples are tested for high risk (HPV), which causes nearly all .
Those that test positive are then analysed further.
Breast screening
Breast screenings, which involve an X-ray test called a that can spot when they are too small to see or feel, are usually offered to women aged 50 to 71 in England.
But the NHS is trialling them for women under 50 if they have a high risk of developing .
Bowel screening
This test detects whether patients are showing any early signs of cancer.
It is available to everyone aged 50 to 74, with automatically sent out every two years, so make sure your GP has your correct address.
The test involves providing a small poo sample to be checked for tiny amounts of blood, which could be caused by cancer.
If you’re 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
Source: NHS
“And the reason that is so important is because when people do present with symptoms, a large number of those have what we call non-specific symptoms.
“These can be things like unexplained weight loss or abdominal pain, and it can be very difficult for a GP to know exactly which clinic they should send the patient to.
“The notion here is we have something that could really help GPs send patients to the right clinic quickly so that they have the right investigations quickly, and therefore get diagnosed quickly.”
The results are being presented at the Early Detection of Cancer Conference in in the US, but have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
NHS director Prof Peter Johnson health officials were waiting to see “final results” from trials before “considering whether an NHS roll-out of the Galleri test should go ahead”.
It’s not the only cancer-detecting blood test being considered by the health service.
There’s also the miONCO-Dx blood test, developed by a team at the University of Southampton, which uses AI to analyse blood samples for tiny fragments of genetic material from tumours to identify cancer present in the body.
It can detect bowel, , gastric, , , , , , and , as well as and soft tissue sarcoma and a type of .
Meanwhile, will be offered to patients with advanced and people with suspected non-small cell to speed up access to specialised treatment.
