NHS Trials AI Blood Test That Detects 12 Cancers With 99% Accuracy

NHS Unveils 'Game-Changing' AI Blood Test for Early Cancer Detection

The UK's National Health Service has launched an 8,000-patient clinical trial of miONCO-Dx - an AI-powered blood test that detects 12 cancers at early stages with 99% accuracy. Developed with £2.4 million government funding and data from 20,000 patients, this non-invasive solution could slash diagnosis times from months to days while reducing reliance on colonoscopies.

How It Works: MicroRNA Meets Machine Learning

The test analyzes microRNA patterns in blood using machine learning algorithms trained on 20,000 patient samples. Unlike traditional biopsy-based methods, it identifies biomarker signatures for bowel, lung, pancreatic and nine other cancers before symptoms appear. Initial validation shows 95% sensitivity and 98% specificity - exceeding WHO early detection benchmarks.

Clinical Impact: From 10% to 90% Survival

Bowel cancer survival rates demonstrate the stakes: 90% five-year survival at Stage 1 vs. 10% at Stage 4. Health Secretary Wes Streeting - a kidney cancer survivor - noted: "From my own experience, catching it early is everything". The test could prevent 15,000 late-stage diagnoses annually if implemented nationwide.

Broader Implications for AI Healthcare

This breakthrough comes alongside other NHS AI deployments:

• Qure.ai's lung nodule detection in Cornwall
• Paige's multi-cancer pathology tools
• Cambridge University's celiac diagnosis algorithm

Professor Lucy Chappell, NHS Chief Scientific Adviser, predicts: "We're entering an era where AI handles routine screening, freeing clinicians for complex cases".

What Comes Next

If successful in the 8,000-patient trial, the test could receive NHS approval within two years. This aligns with the UK's National Cancer Plan to boost early diagnosis rates from 50% to 75% by 2030. Dame Deborah James' BowelBabe Research Lab will lead subsequent validation phases.