An innovative blood test that may spot more than 50 types of
cancer will be piloted by the NHS in a world-leading programme,
chief executive Sir Simon Stevens announced today.
The Galleri blood test, developed by GRAIL, can detect early
stage cancers through a simple blood test, will be piloted with
165,000 patients in a world-first deal struck by NHS England.
Research on patients with signs of cancer has already found that
the test which checks for molecular changes can identify many
types that are difficult to diagnose early, such as head and
neck, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and some blood cancers.
If the NHS programme shows that the test also works as expected
for people without symptoms it will be rolled out to become
routinely available.
The test could help meet the NHS Long Term Plan goal of
increasing the proportion of cancers caught early, which can be
the key to reducing cancer mortality. Patients whose condition is
diagnosed at ‘stage one’ typically have between five and 10 times
the chance of surviving compared with those found at ‘stage
four’.
NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “While the good news
is that cancer survival is now at a record high, over a thousand
people every day are newly diagnosed with cancer. Early detection
– particularly for hard-to-treat conditions like ovarian and
pancreatic cancer – has the potential to save many lives. This
promising blood test could therefore be a game-changer in cancer
care, helping thousands more people to get successful treatment.
This trial again confirms that the NHS is at the forefront of
cutting edge treatments and technology.”
In England, around half of cancers are currently diagnosed at
stage one or two but the NHS Long Term Plan is aiming to increase
that to three quarters by 2028.
The GRAIL pilot, which is due to start in mid-2021, will involve
165,000 people.
That will include 140,000 participants aged 50 to 79 who have no
symptoms but will have annual blood tests for three years.
People will be identified through NHS records and approached to
take part. Anyone with a positive tests will be referred for
investigation in the NHS.
Another 25,000 people with possible cancer symptoms will also be
offered testing to speed up their diagnosis after being referred
to hospital in the normal way.
Results of these studies would be expected by 2023, and if
outcomes are positive, then they would be expanded to involve
around one million participants across 2024 and 2025.
Health and Social Care Secretary, said
“We are building a world leading diagnostics industry in the UK -
not just for coronavirus but for other diseases too. This
exciting and ground-breaking new blood test from GRAIL will give
us another tool to give more people the very best chance of
survival, demonstrating how the UK continues to lead the way in
using the latest innovative treatments to help patients.
“Many of us know a loved one who has battled against cancer and
have seen first-hand the impact of this deadly disease."
Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at
NHS England and improvement said: “The NHS has set itself an
ambitious target, to find three-quarters of cancers at an early
stage, when they have the highest chance of cure. Tests like this
may help us get there far faster, and I am excited to see how
this cutting-edge technology will work out, as we test it in
clinics across the NHS.”
Sir Harpal Kumar, President of GRAIL Europe, said: “The Long Term
Plan for cancer is one I’ve been immensely supportive of since it
was published, and I applaud the NHS and the Government for
setting out these ambitious goals and road map to diagnosing
cancers earlier.
“Galleri, a simple blood test that’s capable of detecting more
than 50 cancers, is a ground-breaking and potentially life-saving
advance that could have a tremendous human and economic benefit.
“Grail is thrilled to partner with the NHS and UK government to
support the NHS Long Term Plan for earlier cancer diagnosis, and
we are eager to bring our technology to patients in the UK as
quickly as we can. I’m delighted we have the opportunity to work
together to see if we can save many thousands more lives from
cancer in the UK every year.”
Quote from Lord David Prior, Chair of NHS England said: “Every
year nearly 200,000 people in the UK die from cancer. Many of
these people are diagnosed too late for treatment to be
effective. This collaboration between the NHS and Grail offers
the chance for a wide range of cancers to be diagnosed much
earlier and could fundamentally change the outlook for people
with cancer.”
The NHS has rolled out ‘Covid-friendly’ cancer treatments to keep
patients safer during the pandemic in a £160 million initiative.
NHS patients were also the first in Europe to benefit from a full
access deal on breakthrough CAR-T therapy for previously
untreatable cancers.
NHS England has also recently done a deal to make a
transformative treatment for cystic fibrosis, Kaftrio, available
to thousands of patients.
