Breath test for stomach cancer

A breath test has been devised for distinguishing between other gastric ailments such as ulcers gastric cancer. The device has shown a 90% success rate in trials.

A new method for diagnosing gastric cancer via breath samples has been developed by scientists based in Israel and China, according to BBC News. The technology is based on the fact that cancer of the stomach appears to give off a 'signature smell' of volatile organic compounds that can be detected using a technical medical kit: a breath analyzer. This development follows on from an earlier Digital Journal report which described how scientists had developed a simple breath analysis test that has the potential for the screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The new device was subjected to a 130-person study. In the study, 37 of the patients had stomach cancer, 32 had stomach ulcers and 61 had other stomach complaints. The device was successful in diagnosing the correct condition on 9 out of 10 occasions. Professor Hossam Haick, lead researcher from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, is quoted by the Guardian as saying the following in relation to the research: "The promising findings from this early study suggest that using a breath test to diagnose stomach cancers, as well as more benign complaints, could be a future alternative to endoscopies – which can be costly and time-consuming, as well as unpleasant to the patient. "Nevertheless, these results are at an early stage and support the concept of a breath test to detect stomach cancers but further validations are needed. Indeed, we're already building on the success of this study with a larger-scale clinical trial. "Around 7,000 people develop stomach cancer in the UK each year and most of these are in their advanced stages when they are diagnosed. But if found to be accurate enough, the nanomaterial breath test presents a new possibility for screening a population for stomach cancer, which would hopefully lead to earlier diagnosis of the disease." Stomach cancer has a high mortality rate. This stems, in part, from the fact that most cancers diagnosed via biopsy probe threaded through the mouth in late stages of the disease. Although the results were promising, it is important to note that this was a pilot study and that the current study only included a relatively small number of people (130) with stomach conditions. Further research and development work will be required. The findings of the study have been published in the British Journal of Cancer ("A nanomaterial-based breath test for distinguishing gastric cancer from benign gastric conditions").

Source:http://www.digitaljournal.com/