Researchers investigate possibility of detecting lung cancer with a breath test

A study published in The Lancet’s journal Clinical Medicine reports that breath testing as a screening tool is one step closer to becoming a reality. lung cancer,

Equipment was used successfully To identify 16 carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 84 patients associated with the lung cancerSuch as aldehydes, hydrocarbons, ketones, carboxylic acids and furans, some of which are compounds used in the production of household products such as furniture, carpets and hardwood floors.

“The test is expected to be used for preliminary investigation of lung cancer, but not for the final diagnosisAccording to study authors led by Pei Wang, MD, PhD, chief of social medicine and health at Peking University in Beijing, China.

Although early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to improve survival in patients lung cancer, Early detection is challenging due to the lack of clinical manifestations and specific biomarkers., Annual CT scans are expensive and involve radiation exposure, Dr. Wang and colleagues wrote.

Breath testing is considered a promising way to detect and test lung cancer, They have been under study for years and in 2014, Belgian researchers published a review in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention documenting its use. volatile organic compounds As an early diagnosis or prognostic biomarker for mesothelioma.

biomarkers of breath lung cancer Identified in many studies are very heterogeneous Due to different sample collection methods, different patient conditions, test environments and analysis methods. As a result, currently there is no breath test to find out lung cancerDr. Wang said in an interview.

for its potential as a screening tool,”Doctors may introduce this test for people at high risk, such as elderly smokers or people with suspected symptoms. It can also be offered to young populations with subjective or objective needs in order to ascertain lung cancer, As the proportion of lung adenocarcinomas among young women who do not smoke is increasing, Testing may be a good way to detect lung cancer in this populationDr. Wang said.

After adjusting for age, sex, smoking and co-morbidities, the researchers found an elevated level of 16 organic compounds unstable in patients lung cancer, A clinical model that includes all 16 organic compounds Astigmatism achieved an area under the curve of 0.952, a sensitivity of 89.2%, a specificity of 89.1%, and an accuracy of 89.1% in diagnosis. lung cancer, a model that included all eight organic compounds The major volatiles achieved an area under the curve of 0.931, a sensitivity of 86.0%, a specificity of 87.2%, and an accuracy of 86.9%.

28. after selecting organic compounds As candidates unsettled through a review of the literature, Dr. Wang and colleagues conducted a prospective study from September 1 to December 31, 2020, High-Pressure Photon Ionization Using Time-of-Flight Analyzer Mass Spectrometry (HPPI-TOFMS) to assess your ability to diagnose lung cancer, The validation study included 157 patients with lung cancer (mean age: 57.0 years; 54.1% women) and 368 volunteers (mean age: 44.5 years; 31.3% women).

“External validation confirmed the good performance of these biomarkers in the detection of lung cancer”, the researchers said. They added that this helped resolve the disparity between published studies by establishing both 16. organic compounds 8. as unstable organic compounds volatile to detect lung cancer,

the authors said that There is a big gap between breath test research and clinical practice for lung cancer detection and screening., Although 16 organic compounds The validated volatiles, mainly aldehydes and hydrocarbons, showed potential to promote this detection strategy, with further scientific studies being required to investigate its underlying mechanisms. organic compounds unstable of lung cancer Identified.

Source consulted here.