HL Deb 31 July 1980 vol 412 cc1175-6WA
The Marquess of AILESBURY

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether testing the blood taken from ordinary blood donors constitutes an infallible test of whether the donor has cancer.

Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNE

No. It is possible to detect the presence of some types of cancer in some people by blood tests. The tests are complex and difficult to interpret, and are not performed on blood taken from blood donors. There is no evidence that any type of human cancer is transmissible through donated blood.