A new blood test could spare bowel cancer patients from undergoing unnecessary chemotherapy every year.
About 1,600 bowel cancer patients in the UK are set to take part in a study over four years, which could affect the way thousands of patients with the disease are treated.
The TRACC study, which involves the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, aims to predict relapse in colorectal cancer.
While most stage 3 bowel cancer patients are offered post-operative chemotherapy, doctors say it may be unnecessary for many patients with the disease, and half of patients are treated by surgery alone.