NHS blood test to ‘revolutionise' cancer treatment
The technique, known as a liquid biopsy, will become the standard test for lung cancer and also be offered to thousands of women with breast disease.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Prof Peter Johnson, the national clinical director for cancer at NHS England described it as a 'golden key' to unlock personalised treatment'.
In a landmark shift, the rapid tests will be offered to 20,000 patients this year, and could soon expand to cover six types of cancer.
Experts said the tests, which detect tumour DNA in the blood, would allow for 'live monitoring' of both disease and treatment, meaning faster diagnoses and fewer side effects.
Patients who have had a CT scan showing signs of the disease will be offered the test without having to wait for tissue biopsies. It may also help patients avoid chemotherapy altogether.
The advances could also save the NHS money, with an independent economic review suggesting the rollout could save £11 million a year in lung cancer treatment costs.
Prof Johnson said the shift would bring a 'new era' of personalised medicine.
He told the Telegraph: 'For patients it means that a single blood test can now give us a window into how their cancer may respond to treatment. It means we can better understand the genetic make-up of their disease and use this DNA test like a 'golden key' to unlock personalised treatment, at much greater speed.'
Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, whose mother died from lung cancer, said the announcement had 'profound significance'.
He said: 'Imagine a world where most cancers are identified before symptoms even appear – not through invasive procedures or radiation-heavy scans, but through a simple blood draw during a routine check-up.
'This isn't science fiction. It's the near horizon of medical technology, and the UK is helping to lead the way.'
Mr Kyle added: 'I often think about what such technology might have meant for my mum and our family. The anxiety it might have spared, the time it could have saved, the different trajectory her treatment might have taken.
'For the thousands of families facing the same devastating diagnosis, this technology can be a game-changer.'
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, added: 'This incredibly exciting new test could save countless lives, giving thousands of people peace of mind.'
The announcement will see the NHS become the first health service in the world to roll-out a 'blood test-first' approach to diagnosing lung cancer.
In total, 15,000 patients with suspected lung cancer will be offered the tests, as well as around 5,000 women with advanced breast cancer who are not responding to treatment.
They will be offered liquid biopsies to see if they might respond to drugs which can slow or halt the progress of disease.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in England, with around 50,000 women diagnosed every year. Lung cancer remains the biggest killer, with 35,000 deaths annually.
Experts said the breakthrough will make a critical difference in cutting the time it takes to diagnose and treat disease.
The advances will also allow medics to narrowly focus treatment as specifically as possible, meaning it is 'kinder' on the body, sparing patients from some of the worst side effects.
The test, which detects tumour DNA fragments circulating in the blood, allows clinicians to rapidly identify genetic mutations driving cancer, and match patients with therapies tailored to a tumour's genetic profile.
Professor Johnson said: 'Liquid biopsies are leading us into a new era of personalised cancer care and it's fantastic that we are now able to expand the use of this revolutionary test on the NHS to help tailor treatment for thousands of patients across the country.'
He said the advances could allow medics to deliver 'more targeted and kinder care for patients' sparing some chemotherapy.
'We are already seeing the difference this test can make in lung and breast cancer – and we hope to roll it out for patients with other forms of cancer in the near future,' he said.
The senior oncologist added that the approach had still more potential, as it may be able to screen apparently healthy patients for signs of disease.
'It's exciting that this approach has the potential to help us 'scan' the body in a single blood test to see where and how cancer may be developing and target it with speed and precision to help save more lives,' he said.
The announcement comes on the eve of the world's largest cancer conference, the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Annual Meeting (ASCO), which is expected to reveal results from a host of trials examining the role of liquid biopsy and precision medicines.
Dr Julie Gralow, ASCO chief medical officer, said the method allowed medics to carry out 'live monitoring at a level that is actually much more specific and early than waiting for it to show up on scans'.
As well as being used to diagnose patients, it can help to guide treatment, and 'to understand how the tumour is getting around the treatment,' she said.
'This is a cool way of not having to stick needles into wherever the cancer is, but just drawing blood,' she said. 'The benefit of looking in the blood is it shows the most active part of the cancer.'
Results from pilot NHS schemes for lung cancer show the approach can fast-track patients to start treatment two weeks earlier and avoid repeated scans, delays and needless toxic therapies.
Dr Isaac Garcia-Murillas, from the Molecular Oncology Group at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said the potential patient benefits and cost savings were 'incredible'.
The researcher, who has worked in the field for more than a decade, said that as well as saving patients from tumour biopsies, which can be painful, the test also meant you could detect cancerous cells which would be 'undetectable' on any other test.
He said: 'This allows you to detect micro metastases way earlier – potentially a year before you could see it. The whole idea is this tumour is too small to be picked up by imaging. These are cells that are undetectable on other tests.'
He said the rollout of liquid biopsy was now 'unstoppable' with other experts saying it would 'transform' cancer care.
A pilot scheme in 176 hospitals tested the method in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) – the most common lung cancer. All such patients with stage three and four disease will now be eligible for the tests, under the national rollout.
The NHS has just begun offering the tests to around 1,000 women with advanced breast cancer, and will expand this to test for four types of gene mutations – expanding access to targeted treatments.
The technology is also being evaluated for four other cancers including pancreatic and gallbladder disease, which are some of the hardest to treat.
Ultimately such tests could be offered to all over 40s as part of screening methods to spot disease long before symptoms appear.
Experts have said this would be the 'holy grail', with the NHS currently testing such methods in the largest trial in the world.
Professor Dame Sue Hill, chief scientific officer for England, said: 'This represents a real step-change in care for eligible lung and breast cancer patients on the NHS.'
NHS will be world's first health service to roll out 'blood test-first' approach for lung cancer
by Peter Kyle
I remember the day my mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. The brutal suddenness of it. The feeling that time had frozen, and the questions about the uncertain journey ahead.
I remember the horrible uncertainty of waiting for the results and treatment options – weeks that, for so many families, matter more than words can express.
That's why today's announcement holds such profound significance, both professionally as Science and Innovation Secretary, and deeply personally as someone who has lost a loved one to lung cancer.
The NHS is about to become the first health service in the world to roll out a revolutionary 'blood test-first' approach for diagnosing suspected lung cancer.
This liquid biopsy test can detect minute fragments of tumour DNA circulating in a patient's bloodstream – allowing doctors to identify specific genetic variations and begin targeted treatment up to two weeks faster than traditional methods.
For the 40,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer each year in England, this isn't just a medical advancement – it's transformative.
Many patients will be spared unnecessary invasive biopsies. Some will avoid chemotherapy altogether. And all will benefit from faster access to the right treatment.
The word 'revolutionary' is often overused in technology discussions, but in this case, it's entirely warranted.
Precision medicine
This simple blood test represents the vanguard of a technological shift in healthcare – one that brings together genomic science, data analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver precision medicine at unprecedented speed.
And it is just the latest example of our mission to put the latest technology in the hands of doctors and patients, making our NHS fit for the future through our Plan for Change.
Earlier this week, we announced the roll-out of cutting-edge radiography machines in every region, giving better and faster cancer treatment to thousands of patients.
And we've already helped tens of thousands of suspected cancer patients get a faster diagnosis, making life-saving interventions.
What truly excites me about today's announcement is that this is just the beginning.
The technology behind these liquid biopsies points toward a future where routine blood tests could screen for multiple cancers simultaneously, detecting disease at its earliest, most treatable stages.
Imagine a world where most cancers are identified before symptoms even appear – not through invasive procedures or radiation-heavy scans, but through a simple blood draw during a routine check-up.
UK is helping to lead the way
This isn't science fiction. It's the near horizon of medical technology, and the UK is helping to lead the way.
I often think about what such technology might have meant for my mum and our family. The anxiety it might have spared, the time it could have saved, the different trajectory her treatment might have taken.
For the thousands of families facing the same devastating diagnosis, this technology can be a game-changer.
This is why we pursue scientific and technological progress with such determination – because behind every statistic, every clinical trial, every pilot programme, there are real people whose lives hang in the balance.
For the thousands diagnosed with lung and breast cancer each year who have felt the disease's devastating impact, this technological advancement offers something beyond medical treatment. It offers hope.
And we will continue to deliver that as we bring our health service into the 21st century by making the best possible testing and treatments available to patients on the NHS.
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