By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : December 07, 2021 12:59 pm
Results from these studies are expected to be released by 2023. If outcomes from these initial pilots are positive, the studies will be expanded to involve around 1 million participants in 2024 and 2025
The NHS UK has given the green light to a pilot study to detect a range of different types of cancer by a simple blood test known as the Galleri blood test. Developed by the company GRAIL this test aims to detect cancers early by looking at abnormal DNA shed from cells into the blood.
The GRAIL pilot is due to begin later next year with 165,000 participants in total. This will include 140,000 people aged 50 to 79 who will be identified through NHS records and asked to take part. This group will have no symptoms and will have annual blood tests for 3 years. Anyone with a positive Galleri blood test result will be referred for further investigation in the NHS.
A further 25,000 people with possible cancer symptoms will also be offered testing once they have been referred to a hospital in the usual way, to see if Galleri could be used to speed up their diagnosis. This might be particularly helpful when patients experience symptoms that could be linked to several different types of cancer.
Results from these studies are expected to be released by 2023. If outcomes from these initial pilots are positive, the studies will be expanded to involve around 1 million participants in 2024 and 2025.
So far, the blood test has only been trialled on people with signs of cancer, but the latest NHS England pilot will test if it can spot cancer in people without symptoms.
“Earlier detection of cancer offers arguably the single biggest opportunity to save lives from the disease, and tests like GRAIL’s have great transformative potential. Large research studies of these tests are essential for determining if they’re effective, and a vital step in getting them to patients, if proven to work.” – Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive.
The Galleri blood test looks for abnormal DNA that has been shed from cancer cells into the blood. DNA from cancer cells often have differences in the chemical tags that sit on the DNA compared with DNA from healthy cells – differences the test is designed to exploit.
Several studies have looked to refine the use of this blood test for cancer detection outside the UK. GRAIL themselves have been investigating the use of artificial intelligence in the interpretation of the blood test results. Cancer Research UK covered some of the findings released by GRAIL earlier this year.
Results from these studies have so far been promising, and a particular focus point for good news is the large number of cancer types that it seems to be able to pick up, including some cancer types that are considered difficult to diagnose early, including head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and some blood cancers.
The findings of this large scale research project will also be key to understanding the negative impacts of the test – including measuring the number of people who test positive but don’t go on to be diagnosed with cancer and if any cancers are missed by false negatives, as well as the impact of the process and results on people’s mental health.
Another key factor is that the researchers ensure the test is accessible to all and doesn’t exacerbate inequalities and that people taking part in the study are representative of the UK’s diverse population.
Cancer that’s diagnosed at an early stage, when it isn’t too large and hasn’t spread, is more likely to be treated successfully. Right now, in England, about 55% of cancer cases that can be staged are diagnosed in the earliest stages (stages 1 and 2).
The NHS Long Term Plan, published at beginning of 2019, aims to increase the number who are diagnosed early so that by 2028, 75% of cancers will be diagnosed at the earliest stages (stage 1 or 2). The Galleri blood test could be playing a part in making that goal a reality. The results of the pilot will be key to understanding if this could be the case.