The NHS is introducing a "revolutionary" cancer blood test in a groundbreaking move set to benefit thousands of patients with tailored treatments much sooner. This pioneering

"liquid biopsy" test looks for minuscule DNA fragments from tumours in the bloodstream and boasts diagnostic speeds up to two weeks quicker than conventional tissue biopsies. Thus,

it hastens the process for doctors to find appropriate targeted therapies, while reducing the number of unnecessary procedures for patients. Ahead of the world's premier oncology

summit in Chicago starting Friday, Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS's national clinical director for cancer, announced the launch, marking the dawn of "a new era of personalised cancer

contribution to more precise and gentler patient care, he highlighted its role in letting some individuals avoid harsher methods such as additional chemotherapy, which could dramatically

alter quality of life, reports the Express. Following successful test runs, every hospital in England will offer this innovative test to an estimated 15,000 people annually, all suspected of

having non-small cell lung cancer. The innovative blood test will be administered in hospitals, following referrals from GPs or specialist consultants, and will also be provided after a CT

scan shows suspected lung cancer. Until now, diagnosis relied on tissue biopsies, which could then be sent for genomic testing. BLOOD FIRST APPROACH Notably, the NHS will be the first

healthcare system to adopt a "blood test first" approach, with tissue biopsies conducted later in the process. Pilot studies have demonstrated that patients receiving the test are

typically able to begin targeted therapy, tailored to their tumour's genetic profile, approximately two weeks sooner. Moreover, around 5,000 women with advanced breast cancer will

benefit from the test, which will identify whether they possess one of four specific genetic variants. Should they test positive, these patients may be eligible for life-extending treatments

following the failure of prior therapies. Many hospitals have already begun implementing the blood test, benefiting approximately 1,600 suspected lung cancer patients and 600 breast cancer

patients since April. Furthermore, the NHS is exploring the potential to expand the test to other cancer types, including pancreatic and gallbladder cancer. Prof Johnson expressed, "We

are already seeing the difference this test can make in lung and breast cancer - and we hope to roll it out for patients with other forms of cancer in the near future. "As research

progresses, it's exciting that 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." PILOT PHASE During its pilot phase, approximately 10,000 patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer underwent the liquid

biopsy in 176 hospitals. An independent health economic evaluation suggested the test might spare up to £11 million annually in lung cancer care by minimising unnecessary diagnostic

procedures and treatments, such as chemotherapy. Professor Sanjay Popat, consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden and clinical co-lead of the trial, commented: "We have seen

first-hand how the implementation of a simple blood-draw and testing in our laboratory has revolutionised treatment for lung cancer patients. "Earlier access to highly effective

targeted medicines allows more patients to avoid delays, start treatment sooner, and receive the most suitable therapy for their specific type of cancer. I am really pleased that we are now

able to roll this out nationally." The co-lead of the study, Professor Alastair Greystoke, an honorary medical oncologist at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,

remarked: "This is the first ever national implementation of a 'liquid biopsy first' approach to the diagnosis and treatment of a cancer. "Not only has it led to faster

and more precise treatment for patients with lung cancer, but we have also been able to show that this is a cost-effective measure for the NHS and set up the framework to evaluate this in

other cancers going forward." Professor Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for England, emphasised the significance of the new measures as "a real step-change in care for

eligible lung and breast cancer patients on the NHS". She continued: "The liquid biopsy testing enables genomic mutations in the fragments of cancer that enter the bloodstream of

these patients to be detected. "This testing is transforming care and helping clinicians match patients earlier especially when cancer tissue may not be available with potentially

life-extending targeted therapies rapidly and with greater precision." She hailed the test as an exemplar of how the NHS is "This test is a great example of the NHS harnessing the

power of genomic technological advances to enable the latest groundbreaking treatment to be delivered to patients." CUTTING-EDGE TREATMENTS Moreover, upcoming research on the utility of

liquid biopsies for cancer diagnosis and monitoring will be showcased at the American Society for Clinical Oncology's annual conference this weekend. Dr Julie Gralow, ASCO's chief

medical officer and executive vice president, praised the innovative approach, saying the tests are "a cool way of not having to stick needles into wherever the cancer is, but just

drawing blood". She explained: "If you had three spots in the liver, five spots in the bone and a spot in the lung, it might be that 90 per cent of them are still responding to

treatment but one is growing. "You can't go and stick a needle in all of them but, if you look in the blood, the most active cancer - the one that's growing - is the one

that's shedding its DNA and that's what you're going to find in the blood. It helps you hone in on the active part of the cancer." Dr Gralow elaborated that blood tests

for cancer could significantly improve how doctors detect and comprehend tumour resistance to treatments. She remarked: "You can see this mutation happening and intervene before you see

obvious evidence of the tumour growing or spreading to new places. "It's live monitoring at a level that is actually much more specific and early than waiting for it to show up on

scans." Commenting on the advancements, Dr Isaac Garcia-Murillas from The Institute of Cancer Research in London said that the potential patient benefits and NHS cost savings were

"incredible". He pointed out that new testing methods might detect cancers with "micro metastases" up to a year earlier than visible through traditional imaging. He

noted: "Not only is the whole imaging pathway cumbersome, but by the time you have tested a tumour by imaging it has already grown. "If you pick it up earlier you can intervene

earlier and smaller tumours might respond better to drugs, so you are not only making it easier, you can improve patients' outcomes." BLOOD TESTS VS LIQUID BIOPSIES Blood tests

cannot yet replace the need for tissue biopsies, according to Dr Garcia-Murillas, but their potential is "unstoppable now and there is a sense of urgency in the cancer community".

He added: "I think we are at a stage where something we have researched for years will become the standard of care for most solid tumour types and that is super cool." 'The

test identified my cancer - now drugs are shrinking it'. The test revealed her cancer had an ALK genetic mutation, leading to her being prescribed the targeted treatment brigatinib. A

tissue biopsy then confirmed the mutation around 10 days after her liquid biopsy results. Rebeca, 41, said: "When I found out I had stage four cancer it felt like I'd been punched

in the gut. "I was scared, I just thought about my children, and if I would get to see my little girl start nursery, and how I would explain my diagnosis to my children - it was just

heart-breaking to think about. "But the medication has given me my life back and my kids have got their mum back." Rebeca, from Carlisle, had been treated for a suspected chest

infection a few months earlier, with symptoms including breathlessness, pain in her right shoulder, fatigue and coughing blood. She expressed her current state: "I'm taking it

day-by-day and for now the treatment is doing what it's meant to be doing and shrinking the tumour, and I've got my energy back. "I know I'm not going to be cured but

I've come to terms with my diagnosis and the pills are stopping my cancer cells from spreading. We'll keep fighting this and dealing with what's been thrown at us."