Thousands of people in Southwark are set to be invited to a ground-breaking form of cancer test at two local centres this summer.
The NHS-Galleri blood test, which is for people aged between 50 and 77, will be done at Lidl on the Old Kent Road from June 27-July 16 and Sainsbury’s Sydenham on Southend Lane from June 28-July 16.
NHS researchers are particularly keen to attract black people to take the test, because statistics show that fewer black people take part in these kinds of screenings, according to Professor Frank Chinegwundoh, a top prostate cancer specialist.
Prof Chinegwundoh, who researches the difference in screening uptake among different ethnic groups, added: “If you receive an invitation to take part in the NHS-Galleri trial, please consider coming forward as it’s important that black people are well represented in the trial. Taking part could help the NHS to save lives by advancing cancer screening for all.”
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The Galleri test being trialled was developed by private company Grail and is being tested in eight areas across England. An initial trial was held last December.
People eligible to take part have been sent invitations in the post. Anyone who takes part should not have had a cancer diagnosis in the past three years.
The participants will be asked to give a blood sample in either Sydenham or the Old Kent Road, and they will then be invited back after a year and two years, to give further samples.
The blood test is particularly good at finding cancers that are typically difficult to identify early – such as head and neck, bowel, lung, pancreatic, and throat cancers. It works by finding chemical changes in fragments of DNA that leak from tumours into the bloodstream.
The initial results of the study, which has already had 100,000 participants, should be out by 2024. If it is successful, the NHS plans to roll out the test to a million more people in 2024 and 2025.
