A clinical trial conducted by Oxford University and Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) shows promising results about a simple U.S.-developed blood test that can diagnose cancer in people exhibiting potential symptoms with a rate of 75% accuracy. Out of the 6,000 participants who underwent the trial, Galleri, a multi-cancer blood test by Grail that screens for over 50 types of cancer, detected two of the three cancers that are not currently screened for in Britain. Interestingly, the test displayed a false positive rate of less than 1%, which is quite low. Additionally, subsequent traditional cancer detection tests, such as scans and biopsies, confirmed the presence of cancer in 350 patients who initially tested positive for the cancer-detection blood test.
The study further revealed that Galleri was especially sensitive to cancers that are typically detected much later, such as head, neck, throat, bowel, lung, and pancreatic cancer. The test functions by identifying tiny tumor DNA fragments circulating in the blood, which means that early detection can lead to more effective treatments. Furthermore, Galleri is 85% accurate in detecting the point of origin of cancer in positive cases.
The NHS is currently investigating the test on around 140,000 asymptomatic individuals aged 55-77 years for mass cancer screening. Plans are in place to expand the trials to more than a million people next year and in 2025. One significant advantage of the test is that it complements the NHS free healthcare system, which can act as a test bed for medical research. The American Society of Clinical Oncology conference will make public the details of the study and its publication in The Lancet Oncology journal.
One important thing to note is that while the test has shown significant promise, more work and testing remain to be done. Nonetheless, experts believe that the cancer-detection blood test could considerably boost the number of diagnosed cancers. Those interested can already access the test in the United States with a prescription at a cost of approximately $949.
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