Blood test that could spot five of the most deadly cancers

A SIMPLE blood test which detects five of the most deadly types of cancer is being developed by scientists.

When breast, bowel, lung, womb or stomach cancer is present in the body, one particular gene changes its chemical signature, found researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute in the US.

They think that the change occurs when the body starts to lose the fight against the disease. Charities said it could work like a “warning klaxon”, sounding the alarm that cancer is present, at a time when treatments are likely to be most effective.

It was found that when a tumour was present, the gene, called ZNF154, showed increased signs of methylation – a biological process which tells genes to switch to the “off ” position.

The new blood test would not rely on prior knowledge of the genetic sequence of tumours, unlike current tests, and would be far less invasive than other screening approaches.