• Suspicious head or neck symptoms: Persistent throat pain, hoarseness, swallowing difficulty or unexplained neck mass.
• Abnormal examination findings: Lesions or structural changes requiring further malignancy assessment.
• Indeterminate imaging results: Radiological findings that do not clearly confirm or exclude cancer.
• Biopsy challenges: Situations where tissue sampling is difficult, delayed or has provided inconclusive results.
• Ongoing clinical concern: Symptoms or findings persisting despite negative initial investigations.
• Specialist referral support: Additional information to guide urgency or direction of further diagnostic pathways.

Overview

Trublood® Head and Neck Cancer evaluates tumour-related biomarkers detectable in peripheral blood, including circulating tumour-associated cells and fragments of tumour-derived DNA. These markers may provide supportive information regarding tumour presence and biological activity.

Assessment of circulating cellular and molecular signals can add context when conventional diagnostic approaches such as imaging, endoscopy or biopsy have not fully clarified malignancy risk. Blood-based tumour biomarker testing may therefore contribute to decision-making in complex head and neck presentations.

Results are interpreted alongside symptom history, clinical examination, imaging findings and specialist oncology or ENT assessment. Reviewing findings within this broader diagnostic framework can help guide further investigation, referral or monitoring strategies.

Practical

Specimen

Whole blood 

Container

• 1 x 2 ml SST tube (yellow colour cap) 
• 2 x EDTA tubes (purple colour cap) 
• 1 x 8 ml DCG tube

Volume

17 mL

Patient preparation

The patient must not have received any form of cancer therapy (radiation / chemo-therapy / surgery / endocrine therapy etc.) at least 15 days prior to collection of sample.
The patient must not have received oral or IV corticosteroids at least 15 days prior to collection of sample.
Patient has no current febrile or any other acute inflammatory illness.
Patient does not have acute exacerbation or flare-up of an inflammatory condition requiring escalation in medical therapy at least 5 days prior to collection of sample.
Patient has not received blood transfusion / PET-CT / CT scan at least 5 days prior to collection of sample.
Patient is not positive for HIV / HBV / HCV.