Blood test can predict if you will die of cancer in the next five years

Experts say the new blood test is far more accurate in assessing the risk of death than other previous methods. Photo / Getty

Do you want to know if you will die within the next five years?

Well now you may be able to after scientists have found a way to predict the risk of immediate death.

They discovered a marker in the blood that detects the building blocks of cancer, chronic heart disease and a range of other serious conditions.

Experts say the new blood test is far more accurate in assessing the risk of death than other previous methods.

A team of international researchers collected data from between 1997 and 1999 on 6,545 men aged between 45 and 69.

Participants were followed until 2015 to see if they had died.

They looked at markers of inflammation, including the new method - interluekin-6 (IL-6). The other two markers were: C-reactive protein (CRP) and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP).

Previous research had found the latter to be the strongest predictor of death within five years.

But the new study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that IL-6 was a more accurate measurement.

Lead researcher Professor Archana Singh-Manoux, from University College London, said the technologies are "exciting".

"Research on biomarkers is progressing fast, and it is important to undertake checks like in the one in our study, to shape future research," he added.

In a related commentary, Dr Paul Ridker, from Harvard Medical School, said: "Biomarker discovery is crucial for thinking about new treatment targets.

"With regard to AGP, CRP and IL-6, what remains uncertain is whether reducing inflammation can reduce cardiovascular event rates."

This comes after scientists developed a five-minute online test which can accurately determine someone's chance of dying in the next five years.

Ubble - which was launched last year - is freely available and requires answers to just 11 questions for women and 13 for men.