Loading Curie Briefs...
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A Leicester private clinic is among the first in the UK to offer the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test, following promising NHS trial results. The single blood draw screens for signals from more than 50 cancer types — including pancreatic and ovarian — most of which have no routine NHS screening. It's a proactive step forward, though it's meant to complement, not replace, existing screening programs.
A Leicester-based private clinic, The Health Suite, has become one of the first private providers in the UK to offer the Galleri test — a single blood draw that screens for signals from more than 50 types of cancer, including pancreatic, ovarian, oesophageal, and head and neck cancers. The test analyzes cell-free DNA in the blood, using machine learning to detect distinctive methylation patterns shed by tumors, and can predict the likely origin of a cancer signal with ~93% accuracy.
The move follows the publication of results from the 140,000-participant NHS-Galleri trial, presented at ASCO this year. The trial found the test detected more cancers than standard care alone and shifted more diagnoses to earlier stages — though it did not meet its primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in late-stage disease.
By the numbers:
Why it matters: Most of the cancers the Galleri test screens for have no routine NHS program, meaning many are caught late. Offering earlier detection — even in a private setting — could meaningfully shift outcomes for high-risk patients, while raising broader questions about equitable access to cutting-edge screening tools.
