Scientists Pin Hopes on New Breath Test to Early Detect Cancer

By: Norhan Mahmoud 

CAIRO, Jan. 3 (SEE)- Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Center require patients to breath for 10 minutes, in a newly launched clinical trial, to spot early signals of different kinds of cancer.

The new medical attempt is to done with the aid of Owlstone Medical’s Breath Biopsy® technology, where scientists will collect breath samples from 1500 people, including healthy ones for trial control, to examine if odorous molecules called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be detected.

Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge is where patients will be recruited for the experiment. 

Initially, the breath test will be carried out on patients suspected with oesophageal and stomach cancer then in the upcoming months research will be extended to prostrate, kidney, bladder, liver and pancreatic cancers.

Both healthy and diagnosed samples will be compared to see if breath biopsy could in the future be used in GP practices to indicate whether to refer patients to further diagnostic tests. Also, researchers hope to unpick if cancer signals are alike or different. 

“Through this clinical trial we hope to find signatures in breath needed to detect cancers earlier – it’s the crucial next step in developing this technology. Owlstone Medical’s Breath Biopsy® technology is the first to test across multiple cancer types, potentially paving the way for a universal breath test,” said the trial’s Lead Researcher Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald in a press release. 

In fact, about half of cancers are diagnosed at a late stage in England- this is another medical inefficiency the trial will help to put an end to. Also, those diagnosed with oesophegeal cancer survive their disease for 10 years or more- here the research’s highlights are of significant importance.

As per the release, Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, said: “There is increasing potential for breath-based tests to aid diagnosis, sitting alongside blood and urine tests in an effort to help doctors detect and treat disease. The concept of providing a whole-body snapshot in a completely non-invasive way is very powerful and could reduce harm by sparing patients from more invasive tests that they don’t need.”

Cancer Research UK plans to allocate more than £20 million for researching early cancer detection by 2019, making it a top priority. 

NB: the image is the courtesy of Owlstone Medical