A groundbreaking blood test that can detect 12 common cancers with over 99 per cent accuracy is set to be trialled on the NHS.
About 8,000 patients will enrol in this pioneering test, which could lead to widespread cancer screening across the country.
The test works by measuring micro RNA in blood samples, then using artificial intelligence to identify any cancer present and locate it in the body.
Initial results show it can identify the most common and lethal cancers at an early stage with remarkable accuracy.
The technology could be rolled out within two years
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Experts describe the technology as “cheap, fast and scalable” and suggest it could be rolled out across the NHS for suspected cancer within two years.
If introduced, the test would allow patients to be diagnosed without undergoing invasive procedures such as biopsies and colonoscopies.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who was treated for kidney cancer while shadow health secretary, will announce the “world-leading” plans on Wednesday.
“From my own experience, I know the devastating toll cancer can take on patients and families,” Streeting said.
“We know that the key to surviving cancer is catching it as early as possible, so this Government is taking the urgent action needed,” he added.
The Government has announced funding of £2.4million to develop the AI-driven blood test, known as miONCO-Dx, in collaboration with the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Streeting will visit a research lab renamed in memory of Dame Deborah James, who raised millions to fight bowel cancer before her death aged 40.
“It is only right that we honour her legacy by investing in research to help stop one of the country’s biggest killers,” he said.
Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice, shared her experience: “When my cancer was first diagnosed, it was a complicated ordeal involving tests and retests, appointments and scans.”
“A simple blood test could have streamlined my diagnosis so doctors could focus on treating me.”
The blood test has the potential to identify 12 of the most lethal cancers
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Andy Shapanis, chief executive of Xgenera, said: “The aim is to make a cheap, fast screening test that works at a population level.”
“The technology involved here is much cheaper than anything else available, so that makes this a very scalable option.”
He added that tests so far had found the technology was able to identify markers just as well when disease was at early stage as at later stages.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, said: “This blood test has the potential to help us detect bowel cancer earlier and reduce the need for invasive tests.”
