New cancer blood tests trialled in West Midlands

Bill Anslow, whose wife died of cancer, attended his appointment on Friday

New blood tests are being trialled in the West Midlands in a bid to detect cancers early, before symptoms appear.

A mobile clinic opened on the Sainsbury's car park on Reedswood Way, Walsall, on Friday and will stay there for a month before moving on to Redditch and elsewhere in the region.

The trial aims to recruit 140,000 volunteers in eight parts of England.

The blood tests are expected to be able to identify more than 50 different cancers.

Letters inviting people aged 50 to 77 to take part are being sent out by the NHS.

Participants, who must not have had a cancer diagnosis in the last three years, will be invited back after 12 months and two years to give further samples.

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The Galleri test works by finding chemical changes in fragments of genetic code that leak from tumours into the bloodstream.

Among those keeping appointments was Bill Anslow, 76, from Bentley, after his wife died from the illness three months ago.

He said: "I think it's up to everybody to try and help for the future and possibly save somebody else."

Carole Powell said she had had breast cancer

Research practitioner at the Walsall unit, Carole Powell, said: "I've had breast cancer myself and I've also got a daughter who's 31 and she's actually just finished treatment for breast cancer.

"So for me this is very close to home."

Under the "Randomised Control Trial", half of the participants - those in the test group - will have their blood sample screened with the Galleri test immediately.

But others, in the "control" group, will have their samples stored away to be tested in the future - should they go on to be diagnosed with cancer.

The trial will allow scientists to see whether cancer is detected significantly earlier among people who have their blood tested straight away.

Participants will only know they are in the test group if their test detects potential signals of cancer. These people will be referred to an NHS hospital for further tests.

The mobile clinic in Walsall will stay at the site for a month

The NHS-Galleri trial is being run by Cancer Research UK and King's College London Cancer Prevention Trials Unit in partnership with the NHS and healthcare company Grail, which has developed the Galleri test.

Initial results of the study are expected by 2023 and, if successful, NHS England and NHS Improvement plans to extend the rollout to a further one million people in 2024 and 2025.