Frequently asked questions

You can ask for the collection of information about your health from the NHS to stop at any time. There are no consequences, and you do not have to give a reason why. However, information about you that has already been collected will be kept. 

If you would like to stop this data collection, please contact the trial team. 

You can change your mind about your blood samples being stored for future research. There are no consequences, and you do not have to give a reason why. If you do not want your samples to be stored for future research, please contact the trial team. Your stored samples will then be destroyed.

You do not need to contact the trial team if you move house or leave England after your last trial appointment.

In the event of loss of mental capacity, such as if something happened to you that meant you no longer fully understood what the trial was or why you were part of it, you may be removed from the trial. However, we would continue to use any samples or information that had already been collected about you until that point. Please contact the trial team.

You can leave the trial (withdraw) at any time. There are no consequences, and you do not have to give a reason why. You can tell the trial team if you no longer want to take part. Any information and samples that have already been collected will be kept and used. 

The NHS-Galleri trial has finished collecting blood samples from participants. The trial is not accepting new participants at this time.

One of the questions researchers want to answer is how often people should be tested with the Galleri test to help the NHS find cancer early. Looking at your blood samples spaced about 12 months apart will help researchers to answer this question.

Testing blood samples after the second and third appointments might find more cancers at an early stage.

When you took part in the trial, you were asked to give a number of blood samples. Giving blood samples is generally safe but there are some possible side effects including:

• discomfort
• lightheadedness
• infection

If the test deteced a cancer signal, you might also have experienced anxiety or distress. Like all screening tests, the Galleri test is not perfect and can give a wrong result. If the test detected a cancer signal and no cancer was found by your doctor, you might have had further tests that were unnecessary. Those further tests have their own risks, such as radiation from scans, that your doctor should have discussed with you before you had them them. 

The trial team try to make sure people who take part in the NHS-Galleri trial have a good trial experience.

In the NHS-Galleri trial, half of the people in the trial are the test group and half are in the control group.

• People in the test group had their blood samples tested using the Galleri test. Anyone who had a cancer signal detected was contacted about their result. No other results will be shared.
• People in the control group had their blood samples stored. Their samples might be tested in the future. They will not get any results, not even after the trial is finished. A control group is important in research like this to provide a comparison with the test group. 

You will not be told if you are in the test or the control group, not even after the trial has finished. If people know which group they are in, it might alter the way they behave about their health. This could make the research results less clear or reliable. 

About half the people in the trial who had a cancer signal detected were found to have cancer after further tests in the NHS, and the other half were not. 

If the Galleri test found a cancer signal, but no cancer was found after further tests, please continue to attend any cancer screening appointments you are invited to and visit your GP if you experience any symptoms that are new or unusual for you.

The control group samples might be tested with the Galleri test in the future to help the trial team understand any differences between what happens to people in the test group and the control group. If you were in the control group, you will not get any test results from the trial, even now even after the trial has finished. You were asked if your samples could be stored and tested after the trial to help with other research to improve how well the test works. 

You were asked to give permission for the trial team to share and receive information about your health with the health professionals who are involved in your care. This could include your GP. If the Galleri test found a cancer signal in your blood, your GP was told about this. 

If you have or are planning to purchase private health insurance, life insurance, or travel
insurance, you should check with your provider if taking part in this trial has affected your ability to make claims in the future.

If you were found to have cancer by taking part in the study, you might have to provide this information on an insurance application if you are asked for it.

A trial is a type of research study that aims to understand whether a new treatment or test works better than other approaches that are already being used. 

Cancer stage describes how big a cancer is and if it has spread. It helps doctors understand if a cancer is early in its development or more advanced. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 is the most advanced. 

The trial is taking place in the following eight Cancer Alliance areas in England:

1. Cheshire and Merseyside
2. East of England
3. Greater Manchester
4. Kent and Medway
5. East Midlands 
6. West Midlands
7. Northern
8. South East London

The 12 types of cancer are: 

• Anus (where the bowel connects to the outside of the body) 
• Bladder
• Bowel
• Head and neck
• Liver and bile duct 
• Lung
• Lymphoma (a type of blood cancer) 
• Oesophagus (food pipe)
• Ovary
• Pancreas
• Plasma cell neoplasm (another type of blood cancer)
• Stomach

These cancer types can grow quickly and are often found at a late stage.

Cancers are often grouped by stage. Stage 1 and 2 are called early stage, and stage 3 and 4 are called late stage. Stage 4 cancers are the most advanced. Cancers found at a later stage can be harder to treat. Treatments have improved over time, and some stage 3 cancers can now be treated more effectively. 

The researchers are not sure yet why they saw fewer advanced cancers (stage 4 cancers) in people who had the test but not fewer late-stage cancers overall (stage 3 and 4 combined). They did find that there were more stage 3 cancers in the test group than the control group, especially after the first time people had the test. This could mean that the reduction in stage 4 cancers was outweighed by an increase in stage 3 cancers, so that no overall reduction was seen in stage 3 and 4 cancers together.

The Galleri test is not currently available on the NHS or to buy in the UK. The test is only available in England as part of clinical trials.

The NHS and other health organisations will review the results of the trial in detail to understand how this type of test could be used in the future. 

At the moment there are no future studies using the Galleri test planned in England.