Good news! A new study amongst 6,600 adult participants showed that a simple blood test is able to detect multiple cancers in patients, many before symptoms arise. The Pathfinder Study released the results from the Galleri Test which identifies cancer DNA in the blood, and hopes to act as an early detection tool for multiple types of cancer.

NHS England plans to release the results of an even larger trial of 165,000 participants next year. In the current 6,600 patient test, the test detected potential cancer in 92 participants, with further testing confirming cancer in 35 people. In addition to general detection the test can also offer where the cancer is located, thus helping doctors treat the growth sooner, typically less than three months later. Of the cancers detected, 14 were early stage and 26 were types of cancer that were not typically screened for.

The accuracy of the test will continue to be refined, but 99.1% of the participants who received a negative result were confirmed to not have cancer. For those who received a positive result, 38% actually had cancer.

Source: The Guardian