COIOS
Healthcare today Item new peer-reviewed

A multicancer blood test did not cut late-stage cancer diagnoses in 142,250 adults

In the NHS-Galleri randomised trial of 142,250 adults aged 50 to 77 in England, three annual rounds of a blood-based multicancer early-detection test alongside usual care did not reduce stage III or IV cancer incidence across 12 prespecified cancers (rate ratio 1.03).

The NHS-Galleri trial randomised 142,250 adults aged 50 to 77 in England to annual blood-based multicancer screening or usual care, with up to three screening rounds. Stage III or IV cancer incidence across 12 prespecified cancers did not differ between the groups (rate ratio 1.03, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.14). Stage IV cancer alone, a secondary end point, was lower in the screened group (rate ratio 0.86, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.00), and trial-related adverse events affected under 1% of participants.

Why it is interesting: A large randomised trial of a multicancer blood test finds no reduction in late-stage diagnoses on its primary end point, with a secondary signal for stage IV alone.

Source
New England Journal of Medicine, 22 September 2026
DOI
10.1056/nejmoa2505723
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
Randomised controlled trial, 142,250 adults aged 50-77 in England, three annual screening rounds plus at least 12 months' follow-up
Verdict
New finding
Driver
Cancer
Driver
Innovation in treatment