HUNDREDS of volunteers from Chester are returning to help the NHS trial a pioneering test to detect cancer earlier.

They will have the last of three blood samples taken for the NHS-Galleri trial, which 22,000 people in Cheshire and Merseyside are taking part in. The study is investigating if the multi-cancer blood screening test can help to spot cancer before symptoms appear.

Early research has shown that the Galleri test could help to detect cancers that are typically difficult to identify early – such as head and neck, bowel, lung, pancreatic, and throat cancers. The test works by analysing chemical patterns in fragments of DNA that are shed from tumours into the bloodstream. If early trial results are promising, the NHS may decide to pilot the delivery of the test to a further one million people.

Participants in Chester are now receiving an invitation to have a final blood sample taken at a mobile clinic stationed at Chester College Campus South on Eaton Road in Handbridge from March 21 to April 12.

Dr Chris Warburton, Medical Director at Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming back volunteers from Chester for their last trial appointment and we are truly grateful for their ongoing participation. Even if you missed your appointment last year, your involvement this year will still help with this research.

"This trial – launched nationally in Cheshire and Merseyside in 2021 – continues to put the NHS at the forefront of ground-breaking research and technology. If this trial is a success, the Galleri blood test could play a major part in achieving the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to diagnose three quarters of cancers at an early stage when they are easier to treat."

Professor Charles Swanton, Co-Chief Investigator for the NHS-Galleri trial, said: "The information gathered from these last appointments is important to support trial results. Testing samples taken about 12 months apart will help researchers to understand how regularly people might need to be tested with the Galleri blood test in the future. We thank all volunteers for supporting the trial."

The NHS-Galleri trial is being run by The Cancer Research UK and King’s College London Cancer Prevention Trials Unit in partnership with the NHS and healthcare company, GRAIL, which has developed the Galleri test. The trial is operating with the support of eight NHS cancer alliances across England, including Cheshire and Merseyside, and it is rolling out across our region until June.

For more information on the trial, visit: www.nhs-galleri.org.