A breath test based on coloured dots can give doctors a good fix on whether a patient has lung cancer, a study published on February 26 in the British specialist journal Thorax says.
Individuals with lung cancer exhale a unique signature of so-called volatile organic compounds, which can be captured and analysed by a chemical colour sensor.
Researchers led by Peter Mazzone at The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, tested the gadget on 122 people with different types of respiratory disease. It was able to accurately predict the presence of cancer in 73.3 percent of the people who had lung cancer. Cancer often shows no symptoms in its early stages, so it is essential to diagnose the disease as soon as possible.
Since 1985, scientists have closely pursued the goal of breath testing for cancer, using such technology as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. But these machines are expensive and need advanced training for doctors to use.