Considering the impact that early detection can have in cancer treatment, and considering the testing currently necessary to diagnose cancer, a breathalyzer sounds too good to be true.
Yet according to the preliminary results of a very small study of 177 people pre-determined to be either cancer-free or to have one of four cancers—lung, breast, colorectal, prostate—suggests that it may be possible to detect some cancers by testing the patient's breath.
Researchers employed a single array of nanosensors to detect chemical emissions from cancer cells, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
According to the authors: "The reported results could lead to the development of an inexpensive, easy-to-use, portable, non-invasive tool that overcomes many of the deficiencies associated with the currently available diagnostic methods for cancer."
Other experts stress that such technology is a long way off and that these results need confirmation in much larger studies.
CANCER TYPE(S)
Lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer
TREATMENT TYPE(S)
Early detection
HOW DOES IT WORK?
In the study, researchers used an 'electronic nose' to detect the chemicals emitted from the surface of cancer cells as they grow.
WHERE WAS THIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED?
British Journal of Cancer
By Ross Bonander
Source
Peng et al. "Detection of lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers from exhaled breath using a single array of nanosensors.' BJC (2010) 103, 542-551. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605810
