Blood test hope in war on cancer

BRITISH scientists have developed a blood test that could diagnose the most aggressive form of lung cancer at an early stage and extend patients’ lives.

Researchers at the University of Manchester have found a way to detect fragments of mutated DNA that are shed by small cell lung cancer tumours and end up in the blood stream.

Small cell lung cancer comprises up to 20 per cent of lung cancer cases. Most victims are only diagnosed in later stages, once it has spread. As a result, few survive for more than two years.

But if caught early, patients can survive for five years or more. Dr Marianne Baker from Cancer Research UK said: ‘The test could one day allow doctors to spot lung cancer earlier, and even track how a cancer changes over time, helping them to choose the best treatments.’