About the blood test

What is the Galleri test?

The NHS-Galleri trial is studying a blood test called Galleri®. The Galleri test is a multi-cancer early detection blood test that can be used to screen for cancer.

The test looks at DNA in the blood to see if any of it might have come from cancer cells. DNA is the genetic code (a sort of instruction manual) found in cells.

The test looks for patterns in this DNA that are shared across many different types of cancer. It does not read the DNA code itself. Instead, it looks for changes in the DNA (called methylation) that can be a signal that cancer might be present.

If the test detects a cancer signal, the signal is then examined to predict where in the body the cancer signal is coming from. In early research, the Galleri test has been found to detect more than 50 different types of cancer, including many cancer types that do not have national screening programmes, such as lung, pancreas and stomach cancers.

Finding a cancer signal does not mean that a person definitely has cancer. It just means that they might have cancer, and that they will need to have some further tests to check. 

Attending your usual cancer screening appointments

It is very important that you keep attending your usual cancer screening appointments when you are invited to do so. You should also make an appointment to talk to your GP if you notice any symptoms that are new or unusual for you.

Not everyone in the NHS-Galleri trial had their blood tested using the Galleri test. 

Who received a blood test?

How can I get a Galleri test?

Show answer

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.

Galleri is a registered trademark of GRAIL, Inc.

In the United States (US), the Galleri test is an Investigational Device and limited by Federal (or US) law to investigational use.

A description of this clinical trial is available on www.ClinicalTrials.gov as required by US law. The website will not include information that can identify you. At most, the website will include a summary of the results. You can search this website at any time.