Volatile organic compound testers offer the possibility of non-invasive screening for cancer, a disease which is tragically spotted too late.
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Researchers compared the nano-array device against the benchmark for VOC assessment, a more complex and expensive lab technique using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Each method was used to screen breath samples taken from 484 study participants in Latvia, 99 of whom had already been diagnosed with stomach cancer but had not yet been treated for it. Both the methods accurately spotted those with the cancer, as well as the ’breath prints’ of high-risk patients who had lesions that often develop into gastric tumors.
However, experts have raised concerns over the accuracy of the test, as the telltale amounts are only 10 particles per billion or less in a sample of exhaled breath. They have also suggested that further trials should be conducted to confirm whether a precursor condition actually developed into cancer, in order to avoid unnecessary treatment.
The study is published in the Gut.
Source-Medindia