Test that detects 50 types of cancer! Surprising results in the US, could help in early diagnosis of the disease
According to a new study, a blood test for more than 50 types of cancer could help in speeding up the diagnosis of the disease.
Results of a major trial in the United States of America show that the test is able to identify a wide range of cancers, an impressive result that suggests that this blood test could eventually play a major role in the early diagnosis of cancer.
Early detection makes the disease easier to treat and potentially curable.
The main point of this study is that three quarters of the cancers detected were those that have not had a screening program until now, such as ovarian, liver, stomach, bladder and pancreatic cancer.
The Galleri test, manufactured by US pharmaceutical company Grail, can detect fragments of cancerous DNA that have broken away from a tumour and are circulating in the blood. The study followed 25,000 adults in the US and Canada for a year, and a similar study is now being conducted in the UK with a larger sample.
The blood test correctly identified the origin of the cancer in nine out of 10 cases.
But scientists not involved in the research say more evidence is needed to show whether the blood test reduces cancer deaths.