Researchers analysed breath samples of 210 patients using the test.
They found that the test can discriminate between malignant and benign
oesophageal cancer in patients for the first time.
The test is 90 per cent accurate and provides results in minutes,
which can take up to four to six hours to process using other methods.
The test can also be applied to detect gastric (stomach) cancer
tumors.
Oesophageal and gastric malignancies account for 15 per cent of
cancer-related deaths globally. Both cancers are usually diagnosed in
the advanced stages because they rarely cause any noticeable symptoms
when they first develop. As a result, the long-term survival rate is 13
per cent for oesophageal cancer and 15 per cent for gastric cancer in
the UK. Now, 400 patients at UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust), The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Guy's and
St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust will take part in a further trial. The
researchers hope to use the findings from the clinical trial to create a
sensor device that can signal to clinicians if a patient has a
malignant tumor.
Similar breath tests to discriminate between benign and malignant
tumors exist but researchers say they have lengthy processing times and
are unable to quantify the amounts of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) present in exhaled breath.
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