Blood test can spare cancer patients the stress of chemo

Royal Mail man just seconds from being crushed by tree

-  MARTIN BAGOT

LUNG cancer patients can get a new blood test on the NHS which could spare them chemotherapy.

The simple test will be given to 10,000 patients suspected of having the disease to identify those who could avoid the gruelling treatment in hospital.

Chemotherapy can hold back tumour growth but has a whole body approach that can harm quality of life, with side effects including hair loss.

The liquid biopsy test identifies specific cancer DNA fragments in the bloodstream, which new targeted drugs can tackle to help patients live well for longer.