Trial of multi-cancer blood test among 142,000 NHS patients fails to meet main aim

Results presented at oncology conference in Chicago show Galleri test failed to reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses

A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer that was billed as the holy grail of oncology has failed to achieve its main objective in a major clinical trial, according to data presented at the world’s largest cancer conference.

The goal of the study involving 142,000 NHS patients in the UK was to assess whether adding the multi-cancer early detection test Galleri to standard screening could shift diagnoses to earlier, more treatable stages.