Scientists created astonishing new way of detecting early cancerous cells

A new blood test is now available in the UK which is capable of diagnosing 70 early stage, solid cancer tumours.

The TruCheck Intelli cancer blood test, which is now available in the UK, works by detecting circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in the blood.

Clinical trials, consisting of over 40,000 participants have found the test has a sensitivity of 88.2%, which allows it to detect CTCs in blood samples from cancer cases. Experts have discovered the test is 96.8% accurate.

The new test, which involves a venous blood draw that is then returned to a laboratory for analysis, has results available within four weeks.

Clinicians use the TruCheck Intelli to compare cells in the blood to ‘biomarkers’ – a biological signature – for different forms of cancer. The test is capable of identifying over 70 cancers including, breast, prostate, lung and bowel.

According to research from Cancer UK, there are over 375,000 new cancer cases are detected each year and there are over 167,000 cancer related deaths.  

George Thomas, CEO of the Goodbody Clinic, which is offering the test, said: ‘Almost half of all cancer cases are currently diagnosed at stage three or four – by being able to diagnose these patients at stage one or two could have a massive impact on treatment and survival rates.’

The pandemic had a severe impact on cancer diagnosis as hospitals prioritised the treatment of Covid-19 patients, with Britons facing long wait times for diagnosis following a referral.

Scientists are hoping that by introducing the new test, less aggressive and intrusive treatments will be offered rather than surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

However, experts have warned that blood tests should also be used cautiously and not as a complete substitute for other diagnostic methods.

Image: National Cancer Institute