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Could a simple breath test detect cancer?

08/01/2019

A clinical trial is underway in Cambridge to determine whether a breath test can accurately detect the presence of cancer. Scientists from Cancer Research UK want to see if any cancer signatures can be picked up in breath samples. If they can, the hope is that such breath tests could be used alongside current blood and urine tests help doctors detect cancer at an early stage going forward. However, we won’t know the results of the trial for at least two years. When cells in the human body carry out biochemical reactions, molecules known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released. But if cancer is present, a different pattern of molecules is produced. The team is trying to determine if these different signatures can be detected in a person’s breath. The ultimate goal would be to develop a test that can not only detect cancer cells, but accurately pinpoint where they are i.e. what type of cancer. For the trial, breath samples from some 1,500 individuals will be analysed – some of who have cancer. Dr David Crosby, head of early detection research at Cancer Research UK, said breath tests had the potential "to revolutionise the way we detect and diagnose cancer in the future".

Malaria breath test could provide cheaper, non-invasive diagnoses

09/11/2017

A breath test that can detect whether someone has malaria is showing signs of promise in parts of Africa where it’s being trialled. The crude prototype picks up on distinctive “breath prints” that people with the mosquito-borne disease have. During a trial involving children in Malawi, in south-eastern Africa, the breath test had a success rate of 83%. While that’s not high enough for the test to be routinely used at present, it is very promising and suggests the test could be developed further into an off-the-shelf product. According to the team of scientists at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo, who developed the breath test, individuals with malaria have six unique compounds in their breath. These compounds are what the breath test looks out for. Once refined and able to detect malaria with greater accuracy, the breath test could provide a cheaper, non-invasive method for determining whether someone has the disease. Talking about the promising signs displayed by the breath test, Prof James Logan from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: "The rapid detection of asymptomatic malaria is a challenge for malaria control and will be essential as we move towards achieving the goal of malaria elimination. A new diagnostic tool, based on the detection of volatiles associated with malaria infection is exciting." According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 212 million cases of malaria were reported worldwide in 2015 and about 429,000 people died, many of them children.

Breath Test Can Save Lives by Detecting Stomach and Esophageal Cancers Early

07/02/2017

A simple breath test which measures the levels of five specific chemicals in a person's breath could detect stomach and esophageal cancer, a new study has found. At present, the only way to diagnose cancers of the stomach and oesophagus is with endoscopy, an invasive, expensive method, which isn’t without its complication risks. It's hoped that the new breath test method could not only save thousands of lives each year, but also negate the need for patients to undergo painful endoscopy exams. The breath test works by measuring the levels of butyric, pentanoic and hexanoic acids, butanal, and decanal in people's breath samples. These can then be compared to a 'chemical signature' indicative of stomach and esophageal cancer. Presenting her team's findings at the European Cancer Congress 2017 in Amsterdam, Dr Sheraz Markar, an NIHR Clinical Trials Fellow from Imperial College London, said the breath test "could be used as a non-invasive, first-line test to reduce the number of unnecessary endoscopies. In the longer term this could also mean earlier diagnosis and treatment, and better survival." The clinical trial involved 335 patients from three different London hospitals, 163 of which had been diagnosed with stomach or esophageal cancer and 172 who had showed no evidence of cancer when they underwent an endoscopy. The researchers found that the breath test had an overall accuracy level of 85%, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 81%. This means that not only was the breath test good at picking up those who had cancer (sensitivity), it was also good at correctly identifying who did not have cancer (specificity). Dr Justine Alford from Cancer Research UK welcomed the findings. "The next step is to see if it can detect the disease at its earliest stages," she said.

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