NHS launches 20,000-patient blood test trial to catch 13 cancers from a single GP sample

Patients aged 45 and over who visit their GP with persistent bloating, abdominal pain or similar symptoms will soon be offered a blood test that scans a single sample for signs of up to 13 cancers at once — part of a world-first NHS trial launching across more than 200 GP practices in England.

The trial, called STRIDE-RCT, will recruit more than 20,000 NHS patients and is funded by the government's National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through the Office for Life Sciences, with up to £8.49 million committed. The tests were developed with input from the University of Birmingham and use a combination of artificial intelligence and protein measurement to look for early cancer markers in one or two tubes of blood — typically drawn alongside routine tests already being taken.

The cancers covered span bowel, small bowel, stomach, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver, bile duct and gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, bladder and prostate. A positive result is not a confirmed diagnosis but is designed to help a GP decide whether an urgent referral is warranted. A negative result does not rule out cancer.

The survival gap that motivates the trial is stark. Around nine in ten people diagnosed with bowel cancer at stage 1 survive at least five years; at stage 4, that falls to roughly one in ten. Abdominal cancers are, according to the government, 'often found too late' — partly because their early symptoms, such as bloating or discomfort, are easily mistaken for less serious conditions. Around 71,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic, stomach, liver, ovarian or bowel cancer in England each year, and nearly 35,000 die from those cancers annually.

Detecting abdomen cancer early is notoriously difficult because the symptoms can easily be mistaken for other less serious conditions, but the NHS is determined to find a solution. We are at the start of a revolution in cancer diagnosis, and this trial will help us to find out whether blood tests can help GPs get the right patients to the right tests sooner, supporting earlier diagnosis when treatment is most likely to be successful.— Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer and Chair of the Office for Life Sciences Cancer Goal

There is also a system-efficiency argument. Currently, just 2–6% of urgent cancer referrals result in an actual diagnosis, according to the government. By giving GPs an additional tool to triage who genuinely needs further investigation, the trial aims to reduce unnecessary referrals and free up specialist appointments for those with the most urgent need.

The earlier cancers are diagnosed, the more chance they can be successfully treated, and lives can be saved. This world-first trial will establish whether simple blood tests can help GPs identify much sooner the patients who need urgent support. Innovations like these are a key part of our National Cancer Plan, which will provide faster diagnosis, more effective treatment, and better care for every patient, while also investing in the trials and technology that offer hope of curing cancer for good.— Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The trial is designed to assess how well the tests perform alongside — not instead of — GPs' clinical judgement. Only once that evidence is gathered will a decision be made on whether to roll the tests out across the wider NHS. The participating practices will span inner-city, rural, seaside and deprived communities, according to the government.

This is not the first multi-cancer blood test the NHS has trialled. STRIDE-RCT uses tests developed closer to home, with University of Birmingham involvement, and focuses specifically on patients already presenting with abdominal symptoms rather than screening the general population.

Recruitment at participating GP practices is expected to begin soon. If the trial demonstrates that the tests improve early diagnosis rates, a broader NHS rollout would follow — though no timeline for that decision has been set.

Why it matters — For any patient over 45 who visits a GP with vague abdominal symptoms, this trial could mean a cancer caught at stage 1 rather than stage 4 — a difference that, for bowel cancer alone, shifts five-year survival odds from roughly nine in ten to roughly one in ten.

Reported by gov.uk, thetimes.com