A blood test that looks for fragments of tumor DNA detected nearly three quarters of early-stage pancreatic cancers in the largest trial of its kind, researchers reported on Friday, raising hopes for a disease that is usually found too late to treat.
The study enrolled roughly 12,000 people with a family history or genetic markers associated with the cancer and followed them for three years. The test flagged 71 percent of the tumors that were later confirmed at stages one or two.
The result comes with caveats. About 2 percent of participants received a positive result that was not confirmed by imaging, a rate the researchers called acceptable for a high-risk population but too high for general screening.
“This is not a test for everyone,” said Prof. Elena Marchetti, who led the trial. “It is a test for the people who lie awake worrying about this disease, and for them it is a meaningful step.”
Regulators in Europe and the United States are expected to review the data over the coming year.
A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 11, 2026, Section A, Page 12 of the European edition with the headline: A Blood Test for Early Pancreatic Cancer Shows Promise in Large Trial.