NHS will weltweit ersten Bluttest für Krebs einführen

Revolutionary liquid biopsy

Around 20,000 people with lung or breast cancer will benefit from a new "liquid biopsy" test, which can give a diagnosis up to two weeks earlier than the traditional tissue biopsy. The NHS is the first healthcare system in the world to introduce this blood test.

The test takes a blood sample to look for tiny fragments of tumour DNA, with results available within 1-2 days. If you have this test, doctors can then use this information to choose a more personalised treatment to target your specific cancer. It could also help you avoid further tests and treatments.

Cutting edge testing

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer says: “Cutting-edge genomic testing is helping us deliver more targeted and kinder care for patients, enabling some to avoid more intensive treatments such as further chemotherapy, which can have a huge impact.”

The liquid biopsy has already been tested on around 10,000 people with lung cancer as part of an NHS pilot. The NHS is now looking at how the liquid biopsy could be used for other cancers. Johnson said: “This approach has the potential to help us ‘scan’ the body in a single blood test to see where and how cancer may be developing and target it with speed and precision to help save more lives.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the “incredibly exciting new test" could save countless lives.

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