Thousands of women could be spared a painful intrusive exam for suspected cancer thanks to a new AI-powered blood test being trialled by the NHS. Around 90,000 postmenopausal women a year in England are referred by their GP for investigation of possible womb cancer due to heavy bleeding. About 10,000 women a year are diagnosed with the disease—also known as uterine or endometrial cancer—and 2,700 die from it.
PinPoint blood test offers 99% accuracy
The PinPoint blood test could save one in five of those women—18,000 a year—from needing a transvaginal ultrasound scan, which measures the thickness of the womb lining and is often uncomfortable or painful. Currently, all women referred have a pelvic examination involving an ultrasound, even though 20% do not have cancer. If cancer is still suspected, a biopsy and hysteroscopy may follow.
The test is being introduced at several NHS hospitals after a trial involving 16,481 patients. These patients were referred by GPs at 170 practices in Yorkshire for nine different forms of cancer. Among them, 3,313 women were referred due to bleeding that raised concern for womb cancer. The test demonstrated a 99% accuracy rate in both detecting gynaecological cancers and ruling out their presence—higher than conventional testing. About one in ten of the 90,000 referred because of heavy bleeding actually had cancer.
NHS trusts plan to adopt the test
The findings have prompted Mid Yorkshire NHS teaching trust to plan using the test for six types of gynaecological or upper gastrointestinal cancer. Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust will do the same for gynaecological cancer. The test was developed by Leeds-based PinPoint Data Science, which uses machine learning to analyse 30 blood markers and determine whether someone is at low, elevated, or high risk of cancer.
Prof Sean Duffy, the firm’s chief medical officer and former NHS England national clinical director for cancer, said the test’s 99% accuracy for womb cancer “is remarkable by any clinical standards. But equally, its value lies in safely ruling out very low-risk women. This has the potential to spare thousands of patients from painful invasive procedures they do not need.”
GP and hospital perspectives
Dr Jacinta Walsh, a GP at King’s Medical Practice in Normanton, West Yorkshire, said: “It often takes up to six visits to a GP before we’re able to rule out cancer. PinPoint will help shortcut that process to deliver peace of mind earlier and free up our capacity to see other patients.”
Brent Kilmurray, chief executive of the Mid Yorkshire trust, said there is an “especially compelling” case for hospitals to start using the PinPoint test to detect gynaecological cancers. Tracy Jackson, a consultant gynaecologist and cancer unit lead at the Leeds trust, noted that women referred by GPs typically undergo a transvaginal scan and, if needed, a hysteroscopy. “But the reality is that most women we see do not have cancer and we are acutely aware that the investigations can be uncomfortable and, for some, distressing.”
She added: “The Pinpoint test gives us a way to triage more intelligently. If we can confidently rule out low-risk women in primary care, we reduce unnecessary invasive procedures and shorten our waiting lists. That means the women who do have cancer can be seen, diagnosed and treated earlier, which is exactly where our focus should be.”
Cancer Research UK comments
Cancer Research UK said the PinPoint test appears “promising”. The charity’s spokesperson, Samantha Harrison, added: “Spotting cancer early saves lives, but right now patients are not being diagnosed quickly enough. This test could help to rule out endometrial cancer in some women, through a simple blood test, without the need for further testing. More research is needed to understand the benefits for patients and the NHS, but the results of this study are promising.”
