A new breath test for pancreatic cancer is being hailed as "the most significant step" in half a century towards providing life-saving diagnoses.
The test will be trialled across 40 sites in England, Wales and Scotland, and involve 6,000 patients.
The trial will aim to assess the effectiveness of the test in detecting the disease, which is often diagnosed in the late stages of the cancer.
Around 600 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in Ireland, with many dying within months of being told they have the illness.
Pancreatic Cancer UK, who funding the study with €1.25 million (£1.1 million), described the trial as the most significant step towards a lifesaving breakthrough in 50 years.
Developed by scientists at Imperial College London, the test identifies specific volatile organic compounds in a person's breath that typicaly indicate early-stage cancer.
If successful, experts hope the test could be rolled out to GP surgeries within five years, enabling earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment for patients.
Speaking on Newstalk, Pancreatic Cancer UK CEO Diana Jupp said thousands of lives could be saved: "The breath test has the potential to revolutionise the early detection of pancreatic cancer, because currently there's no early detection tests at all.
"If we can get people to have a very simple test in their GP, clinic treatment can be a lot quicker."
