A world-first clinical trial in England will assess whether family doctors’ use of simple blood tests that detect multiple common cancers actually result in earlier diagnosis and improved chances of survival, reports Reuters.
Developed by the University of Birmingham and its partners, the investigation will scrutinise the tests’ ability to detect signs of several cancers in a blood sample and suggest where in the body they come from.
The trial will cover 14 cancers including prostate, ovarian, bowel, pancreatic, stomach and liver, which are often diagnosed too late: at least 200 GP practices across England’s National Health Service (NHS) will participate in the trial, involving more than 20 000 patients (aged 45 or over).
The tests will use technologies including artificial intelligence and measurement of proteins in the blood, and the trial will assess how well they work to support GPs’ judgment before a decision is made to roll them out nationally.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
NHS pilots simple blood test that screens for 50 types of cancer
Ovarian cancer blood test may ID disease early – British-US study
Hope for blood test to ID 50 cancers
Blood test trial to detect multiple cancers ‘overhyped’?