Overview

• Early data from the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit show the Avantect genomic blood test detects early-stage pancreatic cancer with 68% sensitivity and rules out the disease with 97% specificity.
• The study targets 800 participants over 50 who have a recent type 2 diabetes diagnosis, a group at six to eight times higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer within three years.
• Investigators hope that earlier detection will expand treatment options and improve survival for a disease that claims nearly 10,500 lives annually in the UK and has a ten-year survival rate of only 5%.
• Developed in partnership with ClearNote Health, the assay identifies molecular markers linked to tumour-driven destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
• If this phase confirms accuracy, the test could be adopted for routine screening of high-risk patients in NHS settings, where more than 80% of cases are currently diagnosed too late for effective intervention.