PEOPLE across Tameside have been involved in the largest trial of a cancer screening blood test anywhere in the world.
They were among 20,000 participants in Greater Manchester, and around 140,000 across England, who have supported the NHS-Galleri trial.
A mobile clinic was set up in the borough to collect blood samples from volunteers taking part in the trial – the world’s largest of a multi-cancer early detection blood test.
July marks the last blood sample collection appointments for the trial, concluding three rounds of blood sample appointments for participants.
The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance was selected, along with seven other regions, to support the trial and it has thanked local people who have participated.
Alison Armstrong, Associate Director, said: “Participating in clinical research has the potential to improve the way that cancer is detected, and we are hugely grateful to people in the region who volunteered for this research.
“Community groups including Can Survive-UK, the Caribbean and African Health Network, Winning Hearts and Minds as well as our local council partners and local Healthwatch teams have all helped the trial to reach and retain a very diverse group of participants who reflect the people who live in our area.”
The trial aims to see if a multi-cancer early detection blood test (Galleri) can help detect cancer early when used alongside population screening programmes. Early research has shown that the test could help to detect cancers that are typically difficult to identify, including cancers for which there is no national screening programme.
The volunteers who took part were all aged 50 to 77 years old at the point of enrolling on the trial and had not been diagnosed or treated for cancer in the last three years.
Professor Richard Neal, Chief Investigator for the trial, said: “Volunteers have played their part and we are grateful for their time and commitment. But the work of researchers continues with results due to be published in 2026.
“We’ll continue to collect information from the NHS so that researchers can assess whether there are significant differences between the group of participants whose blood was screened with the Galleri test and participants whose blood was not tested.”
The NHS-Galleri trial is being run by the Cancer Research UK Cancer Prevention Trials Unit at King’s College London, in partnership with the NHS and healthcare company, GRAIL, which has developed the Galleri test.