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A breakthrough blood test for womb cancer could speed up diagnosis and spare thousands of women from having intrusive examinations, a study suggests. 

Womb cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in the UK, with around 9,700 people diagnosed annually. However, many more – upwards of 90,000 – are referred for transvaginal ultrasound scans to check for the disease. 

The new blood test could spare many of them from having the intrusive procedure, while also speeding up diagnosis for those who have the disease, scientists said.  

The PinPoint test uses AI to analyse markers in the blood to predict a patient’s cancer risk. It was trialled on 16,481 women, including 2,953 with suspected cancer, at hospitals across Yorkshire, England. A study finds that the test has a 99% accuracy rate at both detecting gynaecological cancers and ruling out its presence.   

“High-risk patients could be diagnosed more rapidly, leading to potential earlier-stage diagnosis and a better diagnostic experience, [while] low-risk patients could avoid unnecessary invasive medical testing for cancer,” it noted. “[Furthermore] the software can be deployed rapidly … without the need for additional hardware.” 

Further research is planned.

Image: Gabriel Silverio