Is the Galleri test right for you?

A single blood test that looks for more than fifty cancers is bound to appeal. Here's who tends to get the most from it, and a few things worth knowing before you book.

Galleri tends to make most sense for adults from around the age of 50, when the background risk of cancer starts to climb, and for younger adults who have a family history or another specific reason to be watchful. It suits people who are already doing the basics: keeping up with NHS breast, bowel and cervical screening, and the targeted lung scan if they qualify. Galleri looks wider than those programmes cover, so it adds most for someone who has the standard bases covered and wants an extra layer across the cancers that have no screening at all.

One thing it isn't for is a symptom that's worrying you. That deserves a proper look now rather than a screening test, so please book to see us instead. It's also worth knowing that a no signal detected result is reassuring rather than a guarantee, because the test misses some cancers.

There is a particular thing to understand about a positive signal detected result. It is not a diagnosis. It is the start of a focused set of follow-up tests, guided by the test's prediction of where the signal is coming from. Most of the time that means one or two further investigations. Sometimes a positive signal turns out not to be cancer at all, and the weeks in between can be stressful. Anyone considering the test should go in knowing that this is part of the deal, and should have a doctor who will coordinate the follow-up rather than hand them a result and leave them to it.

That's why there's a short consultation before the blood test. Fifteen minutes with us to go through your age, your family history and the screening you've already had, so you get the most out of the result and know exactly what happens next, whatever it shows. If a different test would answer a specific worry better, we'll tell you that too.

If you've decided Galleri is right for you, we'd be glad to help. We'll see you first and take the time to go through the test with you, and the blood test itself is done at the clinic in Westfield. Your result usually takes about three weeks. Whatever the result, we'll be with you through what comes next.