‘The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to an overhaul of screening programmes, new investment in state-of-the-art technology and a boost in research which will help more people survive cancer each year’. Yet many people feel that when it comes to cancer detection, progress in early detection has stalled.

According to the censuswide survey conducted on behalf of RMDM in 2019, more than 95% of those asked felt that the NHS should prioritise finding new early detection cancer technologies, with a huge 37% stating it should be the NHS’s main priority. One of the reasons for this is because of just how well documented early detection is as being vital to overcoming cancer. The general public know this all too well. 87% of those surveyed in RMDM’s study agreed that early cancer detection is essential in fighting the disease. Cancer charities are crying out for further investment in early detection too. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network have stated that most patients are diagnosed at stage IV, when treatment options are very limited, and that ‘ways to find pancreatic cancer in the earliest stages are urgently needed’ in order to save lives.

Cancer Research UK has stated that their campaigns, including Detect Cancer Early in Scotland, and Be Clear on Cancer in England, have ‘reported positive impact on awareness of cancer symptoms, GP attendances with relevant symptoms, urgent cancer referrals, and in some instances, cancers diagnosed at an earlier stage’. However, it is clear that much more needs to be done in terms of innovation and technology to diversify early detection techniques and find more effective ways of detecting cancer in the earliest stages of the disease. Progress has stalled and private enterprises like RMDM are taking up the fight themselves in order to drive action.

RMDM’s non-invasive blood test, PanTum Detect, can provide patients with an alternative option when conventional screening methods aren’t suitable. A perfect example of this is cervical screening. Cervical cancer is one of several cancers that can actually be prevented by screening. However, figures from NHS digital show that less than 75% of women who are routinely invited for cervical screening don’t attend their appointments due to embarrassment, fear or prior emotional trauma. Tests like PanTum Detect can help patients overcome the practical and emotional barriers that they may face with conventional cervical screening. Dr Ahmed Bourghida, Chief Scientific Officer at RMDM agrees, ‘our blood test will take away the fear factor for biopsies and will give the NHS the confidence to run more universal screening campaigns’. This is backed up by our own research. 75% of those people surveyed in the RMDM study stated that they would be more willing to use a non-invasive blood test to screen for possible cancers than they would existing screening methods.

RMDM’s PanTum Detect blood test is a revolutionary new early cancer screening technology that provides a very real solution to the challenges presented by other early detection methods. A simple, non-invasive blood test, PanTum Detect can correctly identify 97.5% of cancer cases across all cancer types, making it the only universal cancer screening blood test of its kind. With affordable, regular screening using methods like PanTum Detect, there is hope for the future that one day, all cancers can be caught early enough to be treated successfully.

To learn more about PanTum Detect visit our Diagnostics page. Our innovative PanTum Detect blood test is also available at the Centre for Health and Human Performance, 76 Harley Street, Marylebone, London W1G 7HH.

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