The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) will begin a new cancer test trial on Monday, according to experts who can recognize more than 50 types of cancer in patients even before symptoms appear.
What do we know about the trial?
The Galleri test examines the DNA in the blood to see if any come from cancer cells.
Test participants will get their blood samples at mobile testing clinics and other facilities across the country. The NHS aims to get 140,000 volunteers from eight parts of England involved in the trial.
“This quick and easy blood test could mark the beginning of a revolution in cancer detection and treatment here and around the world,” NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said in a statement.
The new test was developed by the American biotechnology company Grail Inc, with the signing of the partnership with the NHS for the trial last November.
By diagnosing cancer at an early stage, patients can work with their healthcare providers to determine a course of treatment before the disease increases. According to the NHS, a patient whose cancer is diagnosed in the first phase is usually five to ten times more likely to survive compared to patients who only discover the disease in the “phase four” after it has spread to other parts. of the body. .
“Early diagnosis can save lives and this groundbreaking new test can detect cancers before symptoms appear, giving people the best chance of overcoming the disease,” said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
The Galleri test could change the game
Peter Sasieni, a professor of cancer prevention at King’s College London and one of the trial’s lead researchers, said the Galleri test “could change the game for early detection of cancer.”
According to Cancer Research UK, based in London, there are more than 166,000 cancer deaths in the country each year. In 2018, lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancers accounted for almost half (45%) of cancer deaths in the UK.
In addition to blood tests, researchers have experimented with other ways to detect the early stages of cancer. For example, scientists have been conducting tests in recent years with a breathalyzer that detects cancer.
Advances in artificial intelligence could also help doctors and health care workers find cancer in patients more quickly and accurately.