STRIDE-RCT
A national trial of new blood tests to help GPs find abdominal cancers earlier, and send fewer people for hospital tests they do not need.
Co-Chief Investigators: Professor Aneel Bhangu and Associate Professor Dmitri Nepogodiev, Surgical Data and Policy Lab, University of Birmingham.
Frequently asked questions
For patients
Can I sign up to take part?
No. You cannot sign up to STRIDE-RCT directly. The blood test is offered only to eligible patients at GP practices taking part in the trial, during a normal appointment.
I have symptoms. What should I do?
Contact your GP practice as you normally would. Do not wait for the trial. If you need urgent help, call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.
Is my GP practice taking part?
Practices taking part will tell eligible patients about the trial. We are not able to confirm which individual practices are involved.
Can the trial team give me advice about my health?
No. We cannot give medical advice or comment on individual circumstances. Please speak to your GP.
Can I get the test outside the trial?
These tests are being evaluated and are not routinely available on the NHS. The trial will help decide whether they should be.
For GP practices
How can my practice take part?
Practice participation in STRIDE-RCT is being coordinated through the NIHR Regional Research Delivery Networks and cancer alliances. To register your interest in getting involved in the trial and to receive regular updates, please complete our online expression of interest form (opens in a new tab).
What does taking part involve?
For eligible patients, one additional blood test during routine care. Outcomes are taken from the GP record, with no extra patient visits. Practices are supported and reimbursed for study activities through the Research Delivery Network.
Does my practice need research experience?
No. The trial is designed to fit into routine general practice.
For media
For interviews and enquiries, please contact the University of Birmingham press office: pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk or +44 (0)121 414 2772. A summary of key facts is below.
This page provides general information about a research study. It does not give medical advice.
A world-leading trial design
STRIDE-RCT is the first modular cluster platform trial for cancer diagnosis in primary care: several blood tests, tested together, in more than 20,000 NHS patients.
compared with a separate trial for each test
compared with a separate trial for each test
Each test is compared with usual care in randomly chosen GP surgeries. New tests plug in as they arrive.
New science
The first platform trial of its kind for cancer diagnosis, and the first in primary care.
Speed and value
Shared set-up, approvals and GP network: faster answers for a fraction of the cost.
Built for the NHS
Real GP appointments and routine NHS records, so results move straight into policy.
Inside the blood test
When cancer grows, it can leave small traces in the blood. These tests look for traces from several types of cancer at once, using one ordinary blood sample.
Circulating tumour DNA
Cancer cells shed fragments of their DNA into the blood, known as circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). The test reads chemical marks on these fragments, called methylation, that are typical of cancer and can often suggest where in the body it started.
Proteins in the blood
Cancers, and the body’s immune and inflammatory response to them, change the levels and structure of proteins in the blood. Proteomic tests measure many proteins at once and look for the pattern linked to cancer.
Artificial intelligence
A computer combines age and sex with routine blood results, such as blood count, liver and kidney tests, and tumour marker tests such as CA125 and CEA, to spot combinations linked to cancer.
From the GP to the result
Cancer signal detected
Not a diagnosis. The GP arranges further tests, often guided by the part of the body the result points to.
No cancer signal
Reassuring, but it does not rule cancer out. Patients should go back to their GP if symptoms continue or get worse.
Media key facts
- What is STRIDE-RCT?
- A national randomised trial testing whether blood tests that look for several cancers at once help GPs decide who needs urgent investigation.
- Who is it for?
- Adults aged 45 and over who see their GP with vague abdominal symptoms, such as bloating, discomfort, nausea, loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss. It is not a screening programme.
- Which cancers?
- Depending on the test: bowel, small bowel, stomach, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver, bile duct and gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, bladder and prostate cancer.
- Why does it matter?
- Around 400,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year. Almost half of cancers with a known stage are found at stage 3 or 4, and around 1 in 5 is diagnosed after an emergency presentation. Most urgent cancer referrals do not find cancer.
- How does the trial work?
- GP practices are randomly allocated. In half, eligible patients are offered a test alongside usual care; in the other half, patients receive usual care. Outcomes are compared using routine NHS records.
- Who leads it?
- Co-Chief Investigators Professor Aneel Bhangu, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Director of the Surgical Data and Policy Lab, and Associate Professor Dmitri Nepogodiev, Consultant in Public Health, University of Birmingham. Delivered with Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit and UCL.
- Who funds it?
- The Office for Life Sciences, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR514726).
- When will patients be tested?
- Patient testing is expected to begin in 2027.
- Will the tests become available on the NHS?
- Only if the trial shows they help patients and are good value for the NHS.
STRIDE-RCT is funded by the Office for Life Sciences through the NIHR (NIHR514726). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. This page does not give medical advice.
