New type of cancer test

SCIENTISTS have the first major evidence that blood tests called liquid biopsies hold promise for screening people for cancer.

Hong Kong doctors have tried it for a type of head and neck cancer and boosted early detection and one measure of survival.

The tests detect DNA that tumours shed into the blood.

Many companies are trying to develop versions of these for screening, as possible alternatives to mammograms, colonoscopies and other such tests.

The new study was led by Dr Dennis Lo of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.