Scientists in Australia say they have developed the world’s first blood test to find a deadly skin cancer in its early stages. They say the test could save thousands of lives each year. Currently, to check for all kinds of skin cancers, doctors examine or remove a small piece of patients’ skin. But researchers say the new blood test can detect one of the deadliest kinds of skin cancer, melanoma, sooner than other methods. In a trial involving about 200 people, the blood test found early stages of melanoma in more than 80 percent of cases. Professor Mel Ziman is the leader of the Melanoma Research Group at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. Her group conducted this trial. “If a thin melanoma is identified early and it’s removed, you have a 98 to 99 percent chance of five to ten years survival.” Researchers explain that the sooner doctors find melanoma, the better.