NHS England are set to roll-out a revolutionary world-first liquid biopsy test for tens of thousands of lung and breast cancer patients.
The test can help to accelerate access to targeted therapy for lung cancer patients by up to two weeks and potentially spare some patients from invasive procedures and treatments such as chemotherapy.
This new ‘blood test-first’ approach for diagnosing suspected lung cancer, using the test ahead of traditional tissue biopsies, will support up to 15,000 patients annually. This could save the NHS up to £11 million per year in lung cancer care, according to one independent health assessment.
Around 10,000 patients with the most common type of lung cancer – non-small cell lung cancer – have already had a liquid biopsy test as part of a recent NHS pilot which involved around 176 hospitals around the country.
Testing in advanced breast cancer is also to be expanded, benefitting 5,000 women each year.
