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New blood test can find 50 types of cancer

A simple blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before any signs of the disease is accurate enough to be rolled out as a screening test, scientists have said. The test is being piloted by NHS England and is aimed at people aged 50 years and older who are at higher risk of disease. It is able to identify many types of cancer that are difficult to diagnose early, such as head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and some blood cancers.

Dr Eric Klein, chairman of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, US said: “Finding cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful, is one of the most significant opportunities we have to reduce the burden of cancer. These data suggest that, if used alongside existing screening tests, the multi-cancer detection test could have a profound impact on how cancer is detected and, ultimately, on public health.”