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British doctors have begun clinical trials to check if a type of "breathalyzer" is able to detect the occurrence of cancer.
The researchers' goal is to find out if the different types of cancer that affect the human body leave a chemical trace that can be detected in human breathing.
The team at Cancer Research UK at the University of Cambridge will bring together 1,500 people, some of whom have already been diagnosed with cancer.
If the technology proves effective, it can be used by general practitioners to see if further studies are needed.
"Breathalyzer" tests could be used in conjunction with other tests, such as urine and blood tests, to help doctors detect cancer at an early stage, the researchers said.
The results of these first tests with "the breathalyzer" will however be available only in two years.
The report reports that general clinicians who were heard were enthusiastic about the research but said that it was unlikely that the breathalyzer would become a widespread tool to fight cancer so quickly.
When they function normally, the cells that make up our body release molecules called volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
But, when they are suffering from cancer or other diseases, the normal behavior of the cells is changed: they appear to produce these molecules in a different pattern, including another smell.
Researchers are trying to find out if these patterns and smells can be identified by the breathalyzer, though they may be different for each type of cancer and if they can be detected at an early stage of the disease.
What is the potential of these tests?
Clinical evaluations are still in the initial phase. For this reason, it will take several years to know whether the results are promising or not.
The science behind the test itself is not new.
Several researchers around the world are already studying the possibility of using breathalyzers to detect several types of cancer for years, including lung cancer.
There are several indications that respiratory tests can be used to detect precancerous symptoms – but the accuracy of these tests is not yet clear.
To be used mbadively, these tests must be sensitive enough to avoid misdiagnosis and false positive results.
In summary, there is still a long way to go and more research is needed before respiratory tests begin to appear in GP surgeries.
It is also possible that dogs are also used to "breathe" the odors present in cancer and other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.
The idea is to know if esophageal cancer (illustration), for example, let a chemical signature in the breath – Photo: Science photo library
] How the tests are done in Cambridge
A first test is underway on patients suspected of esophageal cancer and cancer stomach. Next, people with prostate, kidney, bladder, bowel and pancreatic cancers will be included.
Healthy people will also participate in the tests as a control group.
The people tested will have to breathe through a mask for 10 minutes so that a sample can be taken. The tests will take place at the Addenbrooke Hospital of the University of Cambridge (UK).
The samples will then be sent for badysis to a laboratory in Cambridge.
'Better chance of survival'
Rebecca Coldrick, 54, was one of the first people to participate in the tests. She has an illness called Barrett's esophagus – which is not a cancer, but one that can evolve into this disease.
"I was very happy to be able to participate in the test and I want to contribute to the research I can," she said.
"I think the more research there is to track diseases like mine, and the less invasive the methods, the better," Coldrick said.
"We urgently need to develop new tools, such as the breath test, that can help detect and diagnose cancer in advance, giving patients more chances to survive the disease." said researcher Rebecca Fitzgerald, who coordinates the tests at the Center. British Cancer Research Cambridge.
Dr. David Crosby, head of early detection research at Cancer Research UK, says respiratory testing is a technology with "revolutionary potential for the detection and diagnosis of cancer in the future".
The institute in which Crosby works has also chosen research in this area as one of its top priorities.
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