"Australian researchers have developed an experimental blood test they say is the first blood test capable of detecting melanoma  an aggressive form of skin cancer  in its early stages with a high degree of accuracy. The test could speed up the diagnosis process saving thousands of lives. Scientists at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia tested blood samples for the antibodies typically created by the immune system in response to melanoma and identified them with significant accuracy.  Antibodies are easily accessible in the blood so it provides a fantastic test to identify an earlystage cancer said project lead Professor Mel Ziman leader of the universitys Melanoma Research Group on Monday. In the study httpcdn.cnn.comcnnimagesziman.melanoma.blood.test.pdf published Tuesday in the journal Oncotarget Zimans team screened  blood samples from both melanoma patients and healthy volunteers. The researchers were able to identify people with melanoma with  accuracy and people without a melanoma with  accuracy. In order for it to be valued by clinicians we would need to get to  accuracy in detection she said. So we are doing a clinical trial with  participants to refine our test to get to this point. If further trials are successful Ziman estimates the test could be distributed internationally in up to five years. Patients who returned a positive result would still need a biopsy to confirm the blood test and determine how far the cancer had developed Ziman said. Multiple groups worldwide are working to develop blood tests that detect a range of cancers. A recent study httpsedition.cnn.comhealthcancerbloodteststudyindex.html showed promise for a test detecting tumors of the ovary liver stomach pancreas esophagus colorectum lung and breast while another study  httpsedition.cnn.comhealthbloodtestcancerscreeningintlindex.htmlclaimed to detect  cancers including  accuracy for ovarian cancer. The Australian team believe theirs would be the first to detect melanoma. In the wrong place with the wrong skin color Melanoma cancers are dangerous abnormal growths on the surface of the skin caused by sun damage which can spread throughout the body if left untreated. They accounted for an estimated . of all cancer diagnoses worldwide https in . The World Health Organization http estimates that  melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year. The problem is particularly serious in Australia where melanomas were the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in  and cause about  deaths a year according to the university. This is in large part due to high levels of UV exposure caused by the regions proximity to the ozone https hole over the Antarctic. Were in the wrong place with the wrong skin color. Weve had a lot of migrants from European nations so theyre fairskinned ... and we do have a very intense sun here Ziman said. If detected early skin cancers have a survival rate as high as  the research team said but it drops to just  if diagnosed late. Surgery to remove the growth is the most common form of treatment. Simpler detection Ziman said current methods of melanoma detection are expensive and invasive involving a trip to a clinician who must biopsy the lesion to discover whether it is cancerous. For potential sufferers in remote areas away from skin specialists diagnosis can be especially tricky he said making a simple blood test an easy alternative to identify those at risk. Over three years the research team identified a combination of  types of antibodies that best signal the presence of a melanoma. Antibodies are the products of the bodys immune system created to battle not only bacteria and viruses but abnormal cancer cells Ziman said. Follow CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook https and Twitter httpstwitter.comcnnhealth. Dr. Jodie Moffat head of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK agreed that a test which finds melanoma earlier could help reduce deaths from the disease adding that melanoma can be more than skin deep and its much harder to treat when diagnosed at a late stage after it has spread. However she stressed the fact this new test has not undergone clinical trials. We need to know how accurate it is if it can save lives and how it could work in practice. So although a blood test to find skin cancer earlier is certainly exciting research in this field still has hurdles to overcome she said. In the meantime people can help spot skin cancer early by knowing whats normal for their skin said Moffat. In turn people should talk to a health professional about any unusual or lasting changes to a mole freckle or normal patch of skin. CNNs Meera Senthilingam contributed to this report"