A breath test for malignant mesothelioma using an electronic nose

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare tumour which is difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Earlier detection of MM could potentially improve survival. Exhaled breath sampling of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a carbon polymer array (CPA) electronic nose recognises specific breath profiles characteristic of different diseases, and can distinguish between patients with lung cancer and controls. With MM, the potential confounding effect of other asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) needs to be considered. We hypothesised that as CPA electronic nose would distinguish patients with MM, patients with benign ARDs, and controls with high sensitivity and specificity.20 MM, 18 ARD and 42 control subjects participated in a cross-sectional, case-control study. Breath samples were analysed using the Cyranose 320 (Smiths Detection, Pasadena, CA, USA), using canonical discriminant analysis and principal component reduction.10 MM subjects created the training set. Smell prints from 10 new MM patients were distinguished from control subjects with an accuracy of 95%. Patients with MM, ARDs and control subjects were correctly identified in 88% of cases.Exhaled breath VOC profiling can accurately distinguish between patients with MM, ARDs and controls using a CPA electronic nose. This could eventually translate into a screening tool for high-risk populations.

Analysis of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath for lung cancer diagnosis using a sensor system

“…Electronic noses have been applied to various analysis fields such as food [33,34] and various diseases; diabetes [35], uremia [36], asthma [37], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [38], pulmonary sarcoidosis [39], colorectal cancer [40], and malignant mesothelioma [41,42]. The application of electronic noses to detect lung cancer was also proposed.…”

Exhaled breath analysis in the differentiation of pneumonia from acute pulmonary oedema

“…Methods for distinguishing between these conditions include blood but not exhaled breath biomarkers [2][3][4]. Exhaled breath analysis is being increasingly used for the clinical diagnosis of conditions ranging from lung cancers to tuberculosis [5][6][7], and offers the potential of a rapid, easily-performed method for triage and clinical management in the emergency setting.…”

“…The condensate formed from exhaled breath, EBC, contains a large number of ions, metabolites, and other molecules [15], while the gaseous phase contains volatile organic compounds, a diverse group of carbon-based chemicals [7]. Exhaled breath condensate can be collected using a hand held, simple device which is portable and usable at the bedside; EBC is then snap frozen and later analysed for a wide variety of biomarkers.…”

Detecting lung infections in breathprints: empty promise or next generation diagnosis of infections

“…Impressive empirical data have confirmed the potential of these compounds to serve as a basis for a noninvasive, simple, inexpensive and easy-to-use diagnostic tool [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. In fact, monitoring VOCs in the breath may soon become an interesting supplement (or even an alternative) to conventional medical diagnostics, thanks to the rapid advances in the techniques for breath collection and gas-analysis [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

“…In fact, monitoring VOCs in the breath may soon become an interesting supplement (or even an alternative) to conventional medical diagnostics, thanks to the rapid advances in the techniques for breath collection and gas-analysis [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. This novel approach could revolutionise infectious disease care and management by allowing noninvasive in vivo differential diagnosis, in vitro prediction of the potential progression of infected cells, tailoring of individual treatment and real-time monitoring of therapeutic success [20][21][22][23][24].…”