GP finger-prick blood test could transform bowel cancer diagnosis in Wales

Welsh patients are playing a major role in the way that bowel cancer is diagnosed, thanks to a leading research study which aims to improve detection and diagnostics while avoiding invasive procedures like colonoscopies.

Professor Dean Harris, consultant colorectal surgeon in Swansea Bay University Health Board, is leading on studies exploring the viability of a novel blood test in primary care which offer patients at risk of colorectal cancer a quicker diagnosis and avoid invasive diagnostic procedures like colonoscopy.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Wales and is difficult to detect, often being diagnosed in its late stages as symptoms like rectal bleeding and altered bowel habits start to show.

Professor Harris said that he and his team had managed to recruit around 3,000 patients so far across Wales through generous funding by Cancer Research Wales and Health and Care Research Wales. They are expanding the test so that it would be available to NHS Wales patients in 2024 through the Swansea University spin-out company CanSense.

He added: “We're hoping it will make a real difference for underserved populations, to enable more people to come forward to their GPs with symptoms so that we can move the needle towards early detection.

“Colorectal is just the first on our blood testing platform. We're also excited to look at other cancer types too. We could easily replicate this with breast cancer, lung cancer and any of the other rarer cancers.”

Speaking at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Research and Development Conference 2023, Professor Harris also commended the substantial benefits of One Wales approach to speed up clinical research.

He added: “I think it sends a really strong signal to the UK and the rest of the world that Wales is the place to do research. We've shown throughout the studies that we can recruit and deliver research at pace and scale.

“It's just the place to come to for industry to try new innovative ways of working that will ultimately be of huge help to the NHS.”