More than 20,000 patients aged 45 and over presenting with vague symptoms such as pain or persistent bloating will be offered a new multi-cancer blood test across some 200 GP surgeries in England as part of an upcoming government-funded trial (Yahoo News). The STRIDE-RCT trial is led by the University of Birmingham (BBC News). It will evaluate tests from three companies that examine proteins or fragments of DNA and tumor-shed DNA in a single blood sample to determine whether the tests are accurate enough for wider NHS use (Yahoo News, Mirror).
Evaluating Abdominal Cancer Detection
The initiative focuses on detecting hard-to-diagnose abdominal cancers much sooner, which are often found only after they have spread (Yahoo News). The STRIDE-RCT trial covers bowel, small bowel, stomach, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver, bile duct and gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers (BBC News). These malignancies are difficult to diagnose early because they frequently present with common symptoms like stomach cramps, heartburn, diarrhea, and constipation that can easily be mistaken for other, less serious conditions (BBC News, Mirror).
Around 71,000 people in England are diagnosed each year with pancreatic, stomach, liver, ovarian, or bowel cancer, and nearly 35,000 people die from these diseases annually, according to figures provided during the trial announcement (BBC News). Survival rates drop dramatically depending on the stage at diagnosis; for example, roughly nine in ten people diagnosed with bowel cancer at stage 1 survive at least five years, compared with only about one in ten patients diagnosed at stage 4.
Conducting The Trial in GP Surgeries
Participating patients will provide one or two tubes of blood during routine visits alongside any routine tests ordered at their GP surgery (BBC News). Scientists will analyze the samples using artificial intelligence to look for biomarkers and, if cancer signs are present, may be able to pinpoint where the tumour is located in the body (BBC News, Mirror). Officials state that a positive result does not automatically confirm cancer, nor is a negative result a guaranteed all-clear (BBC News).
Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, noted that earlier diagnosis gives patients a much better chance of successful treatment and survival (BBC News).
The evaluation follows a separate NHS trial of a test called Galleri (King’s College London, BBC News). That test recently failed to meet its primary goal of reducing diagnoses of late-stage cancers across 12 prespecified cancer types, although researchers continue to assess its potential benefits (King’s College London, BBC News). Michelle Mitchell from Cancer Research UK welcomed the new study, noting that GPs have long needed better tools to help identify which patients require further testing (BBC News).
