UKLCC responds to NHSE roll-out of ‘blood test-first’ approach to diagnosing suspected lung cancer

The UKLCC welcomes this news from NHS England (NHSE) regarding the introduction of liquid biopsy – also known as circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) testing – for some lung cancer patients across England. It means that genomic testing on blood may be available before tissue sampling pathology results are, resulting in faster treatment decision making for some.  

However, tissue sampling and pathology testing will still be required to make treatment decisions in most cases.  Currently, around 30,000 patients undergo genomic testing on their lung cancer biopsies each year.  However, in many areas these specialist genomic tests are still taking several weeks to be reported and therefore, we must still focus on streamlining the current gold-standard genomic testing pathway.  Nevertheless, today’s announcement is a significant step forward for many patients with lung cancer and will help some patients receive treatment best suited for them, more quickly.

NHS England Press Release, 30th May 2025: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2025/05/nhs-first-in-world-to-roll-out-revolutionary-blood-test-for-cancer-patients/