Breath test for bowel cancer | COSMOS magazine

SYDNEY: Screening for bowel cancer could one day be as simple and non-invasive as a breath test, according to a new study by Italian researchers.

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States, Europe and Australia. Early detection of bowel cancer is vital ? according to the Australian Cancer Council, the survival rate at stage one after five years is 93%, while at stage three it will drop to just 8%.

Currently in Australia, where 4,000 people die from bowel cancer every year, the screening method is a Faecal Occult Blood [FOB] test, which is sent out to Australian residents in a kit on their 50th, 55th and 65th birthdays for them to do at home. The kit involves collecting samples of bowel movements, which are then tested for the presence of bowel cancer, or abnormal tissue growths called polyps that could potentially become cancer. If the test is positive, the diagnosis is confirmed with a colonoscopy.

Breath test: 75% accuracy

With this new technique, described in the British Journal of Surgery, patients will be able to avoid what many see as an embarrassing and invasive test by simply having their breath analysed.

While still in the early stages of development, this new way of screening could offer a non-invasive, inexpensive, and relatively reliable way of detecting cancer in the body.

According to the study, the researchers were able to detect cancer in patients with an accuracy of more than 75% by simply taking a sample of their breath. This is because cancer tissue releases molecules known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), which have a different metabolism to healthy tissue. When the cancer sufferer exhales, some of these VOC molecules are also exhaled, which can then be detected in the breath of the patient.

"A lot more work to do"

?Screening of this common type of cancer is of extraordinary value for the national health systems because [colorectal] cancer can be cured in its early stage,? said study author Donato Altomare, from the Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy.

However Ian Olver, CEO of the Australian Cancer Council, said that while the study has potential significance, whether this new method will be useful for screening will depend on larger studies, as well as how it compares to current methods.

?I think it has a lot more developmental work to do,? he said.

Source: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/6239/breath-test-bowel-cancer

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