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NHS AI Blood Test to Replace Invasive Womb Cancer Screening
Several NHS hospitals are preparing to deploy an AI-powered blood test designed to help assess women referred for possible womb cancer — before any invasive procedures are carried out.
According to The Guardian, approximately 90,000 postmenopausal women in England are referred by GPs each year for checks following episodes of heavy bleeding. Around 10,000 women are diagnosed with womb cancer annually, and roughly 2,700 die from the disease each year.
🔬 How the PinPoint Test Works
The test was developed by Leeds-based PinPoint Data Science and uses machine learning to evaluate cancer risk from blood markers. It classifies patients into three risk categories:
- Low risk
- Elevated risk
- High risk
The classification is based on the analysis of approximately 30 blood markers. PinPoint states the test costs around £30 and provides clinicians with a risk score that fits within existing cancer referral pathways — helping determine whether a patient should be monitored, referred for further investigation, or prioritised for faster assessment.
📊 PinPoint describes the tool as a multi-cancer test, with applications across gynaecological, lung, upper gastrointestinal, head and neck, and lower gastrointestinal cancer pathways.
📋 Trial Results & Clinical Evidence
The test is being introduced following a large-scale trial involving 16,481 patients referred through urgent suspected cancer pathways across Yorkshire. The trial included women referred with symptoms raising concern about possible womb or gynaecological cancer.
✅ Key Trial Findings:
- About 1 in 10 women referred due to heavy bleeding were found to have cancer
- The test correctly identified 99.1% of cancers as elevated or high risk
- Delivered a negative predictive value of 99.8% for women in the lowest-risk group
Mid Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust plans to use the test for six types of gynaecological or upper gastrointestinal cancer. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust plans to adopt it for gynaecological cancer specifically.
🏥 The Current Diagnostic Pathway
Under the existing pathway, women referred for suspected reproductive system cancers typically undergo a pelvic examination that includes a transvaginal ultrasound scan — a procedure involving insertion of an ultrasound probe into the vagina to measure the thickness of the womb lining. Many women find this uncomfortable or painful.
If cancer is still suspected, patients may then be referred for further checks, including a biopsy and hysteroscopy — an internal examination of the womb.
💡 PinPoint says its test is intended to identify women at very low risk before those invasive procedures are used — potentially sparing around 1 in 5 referred women from needing a transvaginal ultrasound scan. That equates to roughly 18,000 women per year in England.
💬 What Clinicians Are Saying
Professor Sean Duffy, Chief Medical Officer at PinPoint Data Science and former NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer:
"The test's value lies in ruling out women at very low risk."
Dr Jacinta Walsh, GP at King's Medical Practice, Normanton, West Yorkshire:
"Patients can require up to six GP visits before cancer is ruled out. The test could shorten that process and free up capacity for other patients."
Tracy Jackson, Consultant Gynaecologist and Cancer Unit Lead, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust:
"Most women seen through the current referral route do not have cancer, while investigations can be uncomfortable or distressing. The test could help clinicians triage patients before hospital-based investigations — ruling out low-risk patients in primary care while prioritising higher-risk patients for further checks."
🤖 Other NHS AI Deployments
The PinPoint rollout is part of a broader wave of AI adoption across the NHS:
- MEMORI at Kent and Canterbury Hospital — East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is using this AI system to assess infection risk from routine patient data, including blood tests, blood pressure, temperature, medications, and demographics.
- AI Triage Tool in the NHS App — NHS England expects this tool to reach more than 200,000 patients within 12 months and become available to all NHS App users by April 2028.
- AI-Powered Chest X-Ray Tools — The government has committed £20 million to roll out these tools to all NHS trusts in England by 2029. Already available in about half of NHS trusts, they have supported assessment for more than 4 million patients investigated for lung cancer.
🔎 Expert Outlook & Further Research Needed
Cancer Research UK described the PinPoint test as promising, but stressed that more research is needed to fully understand its benefits for patients and the NHS.
Samantha Harrison, spokesperson for Cancer Research UK: "Early detection saves lives, but patients are not currently being diagnosed quickly enough."
The charity noted the test could help rule out endometrial cancer in some women through a simple blood test — without the need for further invasive investigations.
Further evidence will be required to assess how the test affects patient outcomes, referral decisions, and NHS diagnostic capacity at scale.
Photo by Adam Mills