Pioneering NHS Cancer Trial Sees Hundreds of Southport Volunteers Return

Hundreds of volunteers from Southport are returning to help the NHS research a pioneering 
test to detect cancer earlier. 

They will have the last of three blood samples taken for the NHS-Galleri trial, which 22,000 
people in Merseyside and Cheshire are taking part in. The study is investigating if the multi-
cancer blood screening test can help to spot cancer before symptoms appear.  
Participants in Southport are now receiving an invitation to have a final blood sample taken 
at a mobile clinic stationed in the car park of the Floral Hall, on the Promenade, from 
February 26th to March 18th. 

Dr Chris Warburton, Medical Director at Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said: 
“We are delighted to be welcoming back volunteers from Southport for their last trial 
appointment and we are truly grateful for their ongoing participation. Even if you missed 
your appointment last year, your involvement this year will still help with this research. 
“This trial – launched nationally in Cheshire and Merseyside in 2021 – continues to put the 
NHS at the forefront of ground-breaking research and technology. If this trial is a success, 
the Galleri blood test could play a major part in achieving the NHS Long Term Plan ambition 
to diagnose three quarters of cancers at an early stage when they are easier to treat.”  

Professor Charles Swanton, Co-Chief Investigator for the NHS-Galleri trial, said: “The 
information gathered from these last appointments is important to support trial results. 
Testing samples taken about 12 months apart will help researchers to understand how 
regularly people might need to be tested with the Galleri blood test in the future. We thank 
all volunteers for supporting the trial.” 

Early research has shown that the Galleri test could help to detect cancers that are typically 
difficult to identify early – such as head and neck, bowel, lung, pancreatic, and throat 
cancers. The test works by analysing chemical patterns in fragments of DNA that are shed 
from tumours into the bloodstream. If early trial results are promising, the NHS may decide 
to pilot the delivery of the test to a further one million people. 
The NHS-Galleri trial is being run by The Cancer Research UK and King’s College London 
Cancer Prevention Trials Unit in partnership with the NHS and healthcare company, GRAIL, 
which has developed the Galleri test. The trial is operating with the support of eight NHS 
cancer alliances across England, including Cheshire and Merseyside, and it is rolling out 
 across our region until June 2024. 
For more information on the trial, see  https://www.nhs-galleri.org