Scientists in Australia have developed a world-first blood test to detect skin cancer before it spreads through the body.

The test could potentially allow early detection of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, and increase the prospects of treatment. It may also help to avoid invasive and costly biopsies.

Researchers said the test could prove more accurate than the current method of detection, which typically involves a doctor looking at the skin and assessing spots or changes to moles before removing a sample for further examination. But an early stage melanoma can often be difficult to distinguish from a mole.

“While clinicians do a fantastic job with the tools available, relying on biopsies alone can be problematic,” said Pauline Zaenker, from Edith Cowan University.

“The body starts producing these antibodies as soon as melanoma first develops which is how we have been able to detect the cancer in its very early stages with this blood test. No other type of biomarker appears to be capable of detecting the cancer in blood at these early stages.”

Melanoma, which are typically caused by exposure to the sun, can, if undetected, spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs, liver and brain. These secondary melanomas can be more dangerous and harder to treat.