Scientists reveal that an ‘electronic nose’ can distinguish between molecules found in the breath of head-and-neck cancer patients and those of healthy people, according to the results of a small, initial study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Researchers from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology collected breath samples from 82 people from three groups: head-and-neck cancer patients, lung cancer patients and healthy people. The team examined the differences in the molecules present in the exhaled breath of each group using tailor-made detection equipment called the Nano Artificial NOSE (NA-NOSE).
The NA-NOSE was able to distinguish between molecules found in the exhaled breath of head-and-neck cancer patients and healthy volunteers. It also distinguished between lung cancer patients and healthy controls, and, between head-and-neck and lung cancer groups.
Each year in the UK around 8,700 people are diagnosed with head-and-neck cancer. The category comprises different tumour types occurring in the tissues or organs in the head and neck, for example salivary glands and mucus membranes. Head-and-neck cancer is often diagnosed late, because it lacks specific symptoms. Head-and-neckHNC patients often develop a second primary tumour that can affect a patient’s entire respiratory system including lungs.
Lead researcher, Professor Hossam Haick, at the Technion, said: “There is an urgent need to develop new ways to detect head-and-neck cancer. Detection of the disease is complicated, requiring specialist examinations and the disease is often diagnosed late”.