Test for all cancers can spot tumours 10 years in advance

A UNIVERSAL cancer test that can diagnose tumours a decade before symptoms appear is being developed by scientists.

Known as a ‘liquid biopsy’, it involves patients providing a blood sample that is run through a laboratory machine for a highly sophisticated analysis.

It scans the blood for any DNA that has been shed by tumours. This starts circulating in the bloodstream long before patients feel symptoms.

The genetic code provided in this ‘circulating tumour DNA’ – known as CTDNA – tells scientists where in the body tumours are growing and how far the cancer has spread. The test could be available within two years and the goal is to offer it to patients alongside routine checks on their blood pressure and cholesterol at their GP surgery.

Researchers believe it has the potential to halve the cancer death rate, saving tens of thousands of lives. The first results from trials investigating the accuracy of the tests were unveiled at the world’s largest cancer conference at the weekend.

The tests would be most beneficial for those with the deadliest forms of cancer including lung, pancreatic and ovarian, which are usually diagnosed late. One eminent American professor predicted the tests could reduce the cancer death rate by 45%, saving more than 4,000 lives in Ireland each year.

Researchers from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York checked the test on 161 patients and the results, presented to the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, showed the test could identify the type of tumour in 90% of cases.

A US firm called Grail, backed by $100million from Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, is aiming to get a test on the market in 2019.