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England trial tests blood checks for earlier cancer diagnosis

Published

A clinical trial in England will test whether family doctors can use simple blood tests to spot some common cancers sooner. At least 200 GP practices will take part, covering more than 20,000 patients.

The University of Birmingham developed the tests. They look for signs of several cancers in a blood sample and suggest where in the body the cancer comes from.

Patients aged 45 and over who visit a GP with abdominal symptoms can take part. The practices belong to the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

The trial will measure how well the tests support the judgment of GPs. The results will help decide whether to roll the tests out nationally. Reports described it as a world first, and noted that cancer mortality in Britain is among the highest of OECD countries per person.

Key facts

Who
University of Birmingham (developer of the blood tests); National Health Service (health service whose GP practices will participate in the trial)
What
A clinical trial in England, with tests developed by the University of Birmingham, will look for signs of several abdominal cancers in blood samples and suggest where they come from. At least 200 GP practices across the NHS in England will take part, covering more than 20,000 patients, to see whether the tests help GPs decide who needs urgent treatment sooner.
When
4 November 2026
Where
England, Britain
Status
Reported

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