NHS England has announced that liquid biopsies are now routinely available for eligible patients with lung and advanced breast cancer in NHS hospitals. Thousands of cancer patients in England are set to benefit from the new approach to testing that could accelerate access to targeted therapies.
The approach is expected to help up to 15,000 patients with suspected lung cancer each year, enabling clinicians to identify genetic mutations and initiate tailored treatment up to 16 days faster than traditional tissue biopsies. The new protocol positions the NHS as the first health system globally to prioritize a blood test before invasive biopsies in the lung cancer diagnostic pathway.
Breast cancer patients with treatment-resistant disease will also gain access to liquid biopsies, allowing for personalized therapy selection based on genetic profiles. Around 5,000 women annually are anticipated to benefit from the expansion of testing for multiple breast cancer-related genetic variations.
A recent pilot involving 10,000 non-small cell lung cancer patients across 176 NHS hospitals demonstrated significant clinical advantages. Patients avoided unnecessary procedures and chemotherapy, improving quality of life while enabling earlier, more precise treatment decisions.
The test also offers economic benefits; an independent evaluation estimated savings of up to £11 million per year in lung cancer care alone. With successful outcomes in lung and breast cancers, the NHS is evaluating the test’s potential in other malignancies, including pancreatic and gallbladder cancers.
Sian Morgan, Chair of the Royal College of Pathologists’ Genomics Specialty Advisory Committee, said, “This is such encouraging news. Liquid biopsy delivers more targeted, tailored therapies, and is transforming cancer diagnostics and treatment for patients. It is also fantastic news for the clinicians who diagnose and treat them. Further expansion to evaluate genomic profiling using liquid biopsy across other cancer types is strongly supported and encouraged by the College.”
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