The NHS is conducting a world-first trial of the test, which aims to detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear. Although there are no results yet, the researchers are optimistic that it has “tremendous” potential. Based on modelling, they believe the ‘Holy Grail’ test could prevent around 10 per cent of cancer deaths, of which there are around 167,000 in the UK each year – nearly 460 a day. The discovery could save around 16,000 lives a year. Hundreds of the 140,000-volunteer trial are already being referred for scans or colonoscopies as a result of the test’s findings. It is expected that about half of those listed could have cancer. If the trial proves successful, the test will be carried out on a million more people as early as 2024, then possibly nationwide. If the test were made available across the UK and offered to around 18 million adults aged 50 to 79, around 130,000 more asymptomatic people would receive cancer screening referrals each year, assuming one in a hundred test positive as researchers expect. British researchers believe the cancer test – from US company Grail – could be a ‘tipping point’ in the way the NHS deals with the disease. There are currently nearly three million emergency cancer referrals a year, based on figures for the year to February, so the test would increase referrals by around 5 per cent. The researchers point out that many of these referrals would have been made anyway, but at a later date. The NHS is struggling with a post-Covid backlog of cancer referrals and data leaked this month showed more than 10,000 people were waiting for treatment three months after being referred for suspected cancer. But it is hoped that this situation will have changed by the time the trial begins. Professor Peter Sasieni, one of the trial’s three principal investigators from King’s College London, said: “The potential for this blood test to dramatically reduce the number of people dying from cancer is huge. Of course, if the test is rolled out by the NHS, we will see some increase in short-term workload from the slightly higher number of cancer referrals. “But in the long term, there should also be many savings for the NHS, such as reducing the need for chemotherapy and expensive drugs for advanced cancers.” The blood test, called the Galleri test, picks up cancer-related DNA fragments that are shed in the blood and can indicate where in the body it originated. is revolutionizing the way cancer is detected, as most patients are currently diagnosed only after they develop symptoms. Based on modelling, they believe the ‘Holy Grail’ test could prevent around 10 per cent of cancer deaths, of which there are around 167,000 in the UK each year – almost 460 a day. It will only become clear after the results of the NHS trials are published whether the test can prevent around 10 per cent of all cancer deaths, as the model suggests. But the test offers hope for hard-to-detect cancers like ovarian and pancreatic, which are usually discovered too late. The NHS trial, led by Cancer Research UK, King’s College London Cancer Prevention Trials Unit and Grail, saw people aged 50 to 77 sent invitations. Those with a signal of cancer in their blood were referred for a scan within a two-week target, which is expected to be implemented if the blood test is offered regularly. Researchers are yet to reveal what proportion of those referred to hospital in the NHS trial turned out to have cancer, but previous studies suggest it could be 30 to 70 per cent. In comparison, less than 10 percent of people referred to hospital after being screened for breast or bowel cancer will actually have cancer. Half of the people in the NHS trial had no blood tests. Their rate of advanced cancer will be compared to that of those who underwent the test. If it is significantly higher, this indicates that the test has prevented people from developing advanced cancer. The 130,000 UK referrals using the blood test for cancer are based on people aged 50 to 79 using it, if 70 per cent of them accepted the invitation. The first results from the trial will be shared with the NHS in 2024. Rose Gray, from Cancer Research UK, said: “Research like this is vital to making progress against late-stage cancers and giving more patients the chance of a good outcome.”
“This test could prevent suffering like mine”
It took four years for Hollywood star Olivia Williams to learn her symptoms were the result of a very rare pancreatic cancer. The British actress saw ten doctors on three continents while working on various films, but a tumor the size of two matchboxes on her pancreas went undiagnosed. Now the 54-year-old, who is set to play Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown, is defending the Galleri test to detect early signs of pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear. Mrs Williams, an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK, has recovered from the disease, which is less fatal than the more common type. But half of her pancreas, spleen and gall bladder were removed and she now has to take pills to digest food. The mother-of-two said: “I spent four years suspecting something was wrong, but I wasn’t sure. This trial is the end of it, it is a gift from the gods. It will prevent that second blow that so many of us suffer – that not only do you have cancer, but that it has spread.”
