New blood test to help save lives

Source: Safe To Work, November 2016

A new blood test capable of diagnosing melanoma within hours is being unveiled in Victoria.

Melbourne’s Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) is the first Australian laboratory accredited to administer the liquid biopsy test, which aims to speed up the diagnosis of melanoma so patients receive treatment they need sooner.

Diagnosis of melanoma often requires a complex surgical biopsy, which can take weeks to deliver outcomes. This new technology has the potential to provide the same information, but much faster, from a simple blood test, according to a Victorian Government statement.