England Launches STRIDE-RCT to Evaluate Blood Tests for Early Detection of Multiple Cancers
November 06, 2026
England is set to launch a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate whether blood tests can help family doctors identify multiple cancers at an earlier stage. The STRIDE-RCT trial, led by the University of Birmingham, will involve more than 20,000 NHS patients across at least 200 general practitioner (GP) practices in England.
England is set to launch a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate whether blood tests can help family doctors identify multiple cancers at an earlier stage. The STRIDE-RCT trial, led by the University of Birmingham, will involve more than 20,000 NHS patients across at least 200 general practitioner (GP) practices in England. The study aims to assess whether these tests can help doctors identify patients who need further investigation and improve the early diagnosis of cancer.
The trial will offer participation to patients aged 45 and above who visit their GP with abdominal symptoms such as persistent bloating or discomfort. The blood tests will look for signs of several cancers using a single sample and may help indicate where in the body the cancer-related signals originate. Most participants will provide one or two tubes of blood during their GP visit, alongside routine blood tests.
The tests use different technologies, including artificial intelligence, protein analysis and other methods to identify cancer-related signals. The cancers covered by the trial include bowel, small bowel, stomach, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver, bile duct, gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, bladder and prostate cancers.
A positive blood test result will not confirm a cancer diagnosis. Instead, it will help GPs and patients decide whether an urgent referral or further diagnostic investigations are required. Researchers will evaluate how effectively the tests work alongside clinical judgement before considering whether they could be introduced more widely across the NHS.
The trial is funded by the Office for Life Sciences through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with government funding of up to £8.49 million. The findings are expected to provide evidence on whether multi-cancer blood tests can support earlier diagnosis and help guide future use of these technologies in primary care.
Source: https://news.docthub.com/england-launches-stride-rct-to-evaluate-blood-tests-for-early-detection-of-multiple-cancers-N2698
