Gordon Wishart: NHS Galleri multicancer blood test trial is putting commercial interest ahead of science and clinical outcomes
Gordon Wishart, Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Check4Cancer, shared on LinkedIn:
“As a lifelong supporter of early cancer detection, I have reported many times that there was insufficient evidence to warrant the current NHS Galleri multicancer blood test trial, with a sensitivity of <20% for Stage 1 cancers and only 44% for Stage I-III cancers diagnosed by other tests. In this investigative BMJ article, the authors point out that the evidential bar for this trial was set very low for a screening study, with success linked to a future commercial contract between NHS England and GRAIL.
Furthermore, the respected cancer experts quoted in the article are right to point out that a shift in the number of cancers presenting at an earlier stage does not necessarily transfer into better survival, which should be the ultimate trial success decider. Although the NHS has deferred any decision on the rollout of the test until 2026, this seems unlikely based on preliminary data that report a test sensitivity that is even lower in a screening population.
So a trial that was launched with great hype and cost, but inadequate evidence, is unlikely help us reach our target of diagnosing 75% of early stage cancers by 2028 and is more likely to be remembered for putting commercial interest ahead of science and clinical outcomes. My thanks to colleagues Richard Sullivan and Paul Pharoah for continuing to raise concerns about this study.”
Authors: Margaret McCartney, Deborah Cohen
Source: Gordon Wishart/LinkedIn