Researchers are reporting progress on a new blood test that can detect multiple cancers in a way that is simple and inexpensive. This test is based on the fact that tumours shed bits of genetic material in the blood. A test that can accurately detect those tumour signals would provide a rapid and non-invasive way to screen for various cancers. So far they have been able to identify 11 different types of cancer using only a small blood sample. A number of companies are working to develop this kind of "multi-cancer" early detection test. But all of the other tests under development are not as efficient because they require the testing of multiple tubes of blood.

According to senior researcher Dr Muhammed Murtaza, of the University of Wisconsin: “The biggest advantage of our approach would probably be in cost-effectiveness. However, more research is still needed.” One of the next steps is to see how well the test performs in detecting a single cancer, rather than multiple ones. This is especially important for pancreatic cancer, as there is currently no screening test for this deadly disease.