The Government will provide £120 in funding for a blood test that could detect 12 of the most common types of cancer before symptoms appear.
The Mionco screen can identify up to 50 cancers before false positives occur, according to the scientists involved in its development, and is a type of PCR test used during the coronavirus pandemic.
This test tests for the 12 most common diseases of the lungs, breasts, prostate, pancreas, colorectum, ovaries, liver, brain, esophagus, bladder, bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and stomach.
The Sunday Mirror reports that the government will provide £2.5 million through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to speed up testing.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a cancer survivor, told the newspaper this could be a “game changer” that could revolutionize cancer treatment within five years.
Mr Street said: “With just a few drops of blood, we can tell if you have lung, breast or bladder cancer, eliminating months of waiting time for tests and scans.”
“These innovations have the potential to be game-changing and save lives. But under-investment from the Conservative Party means the NHS is 15 years behind the private sector in technology. The number is smaller than in Greece.
“Your chances in life depend on your postcode and whether you can afford to go into private life. I will bring cutting-edge technology to the NHS that will benefit the many, not just the few. I am determined.”
Scientists at the University of Southampton are thought to have used clinical information from 20,000 cancer patients to develop the screen.
The next stage will involve inputting 8,000 blood samples from people of different ethnic backgrounds to improve the effectiveness of the artificial intelligence that analyzes test samples and biomarkers.
Professor Paul Skip, from the University of Southampton, said: “Tests like this have the potential to detect cancer earlier and save many lives. We hope to see a test available on the NHS within five to seven years. I am.”
There are currently NHS screening tests for breast, bowel, cervical and lung cancer, but they require a scan or biopsy.
Skip added: “The UK spends £800m a year screening for these four cancers, and a further £91m is spent on tracing false positives.”
Last month, a £42 million screening trial aimed at revolutionizing prostate cancer treatment began in the UK.
Trial organizers say thousands of men will participate in the initial phase, with the potential to recruit hundreds of thousands of volunteers over the next few years as the program progresses.
