New cancer breath test being trialled by British scientists could assist in early diagnosis of disease

The new test, involving the use of a breathalyser, is designed to identify early cancer signs by detecting airborne chemicals emitted by cancerous tumours.

The test identifies waste products given off by cancer cells, known as volatile organic compounds, which find their way into a patient’s breath through the bloodstream.

A significant trial is now being launched, which will involve 1,500 patients over two years, and the test could replace current screening programmes within 10 year, significantly reducing the need for biopsies.

Cancer Research UK’s Dr David Crosby, said “It sounds futuristic but it’s very much a real thing and the potential is enormous. If you find cancer early, the potential for treatment is much higher. In a lot of cases, we simply don’t have good tests for finding very early cancers because they don’t have symptoms.

“So having a test which is relatively cheap – and non-invasive so you don’t have to take a biopsy – would be a huge advantage. Essentially it’s a breathalyser for cancer.”

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, lead researcher, said “We urgently need to develop new tools – like this breath test – which could help to detect and diagnose cancer earlier, giving patients the best chance of surviving.

“Through this trial we hope to find signatures needed to detect cancers earlier. It’s the crucial next step in developing this technology.”

Cancer survival rates in the UK lag behind the rest of Europe, which is blamed on a failure to diagnose early. Currently over 17,000 patients in the UK lose their lives because the disease is not spotted early enough.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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