New test for detecting common cancers shows promise

MIAMI - A new blood test for cancer has shown promise in detecting eight kinds of tumors before they have spread elsewhere in the body, offering hope of early detection, researchers said on Thursday.

Further study is needed before the test - called CancerSEEK - can be made widely available for its expected cost of about $500, said the report in the journal Science.

The study, led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, involved 1,005 patients whose cancer - already diagnosed based on their symptoms - was detected with an accuracy rate of about 70 percent overall.