ENGLAND — University Hospitals of Leicester became the first National Health Service (NHS) trust in England to adopt the Galeas bladder test. This adoption follows an NHS trial conducted in 2024 and 2025.
During the trial, the Galeas bladder test demonstrated a 92 percent accuracy rate among 964 patients across seven hospitals in England and Scotland. Traditional bladder cancer diagnosis typically involves a cystoscopy, which requires inserting a tube and camera through the urethra. The trial reported an 81 percent accuracy rate for cystoscopy procedures. Jayne Douglas-Moore, a consultant urological surgeon at University Hospitals of Leicester, said, "The convincing results of the trial persuaded the Leicester trust to adopt the test last month for patients in whom blood in the urine is identified using a urine dipstick." She said, "Of the results received so far patients have received their results in 16 days, which exceeds the NHS 28-day faster diagnosis standard for cancer. This is based on low numbers as we are only three weeks in but shows promise."
Early Leicester data suggests the Galeas test diagnoses bladder cancer 50 percent faster than cystoscopy. Douglas-Moore said, "Cystoscopy is an invasive investigation to look at the inside of the bladder. The patient is given an anaesthetic gel but otherwise remains awake. While it only takes one to two minutes it is an intimate examination and can be embarrassing or cause discomfort."
Tony Hickson, chief business officer at Cancer Research UK, said, "Studies are ongoing, but using this test could replace some of the unpleasant and invasive procedures patients currently experience when getting their symptoms checked out. The test could also catch cases earlier, as it can be done when someone first visits their GP, rather than having to arrange a separate hospital appointment." He said, "Innovations like this are critical for improving how we diagnose cancer cases."
Bladder cancer is the 11th most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United Kingdom, causing approximately 6,000 deaths annually. Frankie Swords, national medical director for NHS England, said, "The NHS has a long history of adopting innovations to improve patient care, and this is another great example of NHS healthcare professionals taking the initiative and trialling new technologies to help to diagnose and treat cancer earlier."