NHS Cancer Blood Test Trial: 20,000 Patients to Test for 13 Cancers at GP Surgeries

More than 20,000 NHS patients in England will take part in a world-first NHS cancer blood test trial that aims to spot 13 cancers earlier, after the trial was announced on Wednesday 4 November 2026. The STRIDE-RCT trial will run in at least 200 GP practices and will test whether simple blood tests can help family doctors identify sooner which patients need urgent investigation.

The trial is aimed at patients aged 45 and over who visit their GP with abdominal symptoms, such as persistent bloating or discomfort. Those patients will be offered the chance to take part, and most tests will involve one or two tubes of blood taken at the GP practice alongside routine blood tests.

The blood tests, developed by the University of Birmingham, look for signs of several cancers in a single sample and suggest where in the body they may come from. The tests use a range of current technology, including artificial intelligence and measuring proteins in the blood, according to the Department of Health and Social Care announcement.

A positive result will help the GP and patient decide whether an urgent referral is needed, but it is not by itself a confirmed cancer diagnosis. The trial will assess how well the tests work alongside GPs’ judgement before any decision is made about rolling them out nationwide.

Why abdominal cancers are so hard to catch early

Abdominal cancers are often found too late, because their early symptoms can be vague and easily mistaken for less serious conditions. Around 71,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic, stomach, liver, ovarian or bowel cancer in England each year, and there are almost 35,000 deaths from these cancers, according to the government announcement.

The gap between early and late diagnosis is stark for bowel cancer. Around nine in ten people diagnosed with bowel cancer at stage 1 survive at least five years, compared with around one in ten at stage 4. That contrast is central to why earlier detection matters, and why the trial focuses on cancers that can develop quietly.

GPs also face a difficult sorting problem today. Currently, just 2 to 6 per cent of urgent referrals for cancer result in a diagnosis, the announcement states. A reliable blood test could help doctors separate the patients who need fast further tests from those who do not, reducing worry and freeing appointments for people with a genuinely urgent need.

The 13 cancers in the STRIDE-RCT trial

The trial covers bowel, small bowel, stomach, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver, bile duct and gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, bladder and prostate cancer. Those are mainly abdominal cancers, including several that are frequently diagnosed only after they have spread.

The trial will initially evaluate three different tests, with more potentially added later, according to GP Online’s report of the Department of Health and Social Care announcement. It will cover a broad range of inner-city, rural, seaside and deprived communities, so the results are intended to apply across the population the NHS serves.

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the earlier cancers are diagnosed, the more chance they can be successfully treated and lives saved. She described the trial as world-first research to establish whether simple blood tests can help GPs identify much sooner the patients who need urgent support.

What this trial is — and what it is not yet

This is a research trial, not a new test that anyone can book today. Only patients at participating GP practices who meet the trial criteria will be offered the chance to take part, and the tests will be judged against GPs’ clinical judgement before any nationwide rollout is considered.

That caution matters. Until STRIDE-RCT produces its own evidence, it is not publicly verified whether these blood tests change patient outcomes, how accurate each test is in routine GP practice, or when any results will be published. No rollout date and no accuracy figure should be read into this announcement, and none is claimed here.

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, welcomed the trial, saying GPs have long needed better tools to identify which patients require further testing. Bowel Cancer UK and Pancreatic Cancer UK also welcomed the research, while stressing that results must be awaited. See the Reuters report on the trial.

Questions patients are asking about the NHS cancer blood test trial

Can I book this blood test at my GP surgery? No, not as a routine service. It is a trial running in at least 200 participating GP practices in England, offered to eligible patients aged 45 and over who visit their GP with abdominal symptoms.

Does a positive result mean I have cancer? No. A positive result helps the GP and patient decide whether an urgent referral is needed, but it is not by itself a confirmed cancer diagnosis.

Which cancers does the trial cover? Bowel, small bowel, stomach, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver, bile duct and gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, bladder and prostate cancer — 13 in total.

Will the test replace existing cancer screening? No claim of that kind is made in the announcement. The trial assesses whether the tests work alongside GPs’ judgement, and anyone with worrying or persistent symptoms should still seek GP advice promptly rather than waiting for a trial test.

Is the trial available across the UK? The announcement covers GP practices in England. Availability in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland is not publicly verified in the sources checked, and none is claimed here.