Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are a tiny telltale in the breath of cancer patients. Oncologists are interested in VOC testers because they offer the possibility of non-invasive screening for a disease that, tragically, is often spotted too late. A device that would be cheap, portable and also pinpoint precursor conditions would be especially welcome.
For patients with suspected stomach cancer, a useful breath test would avoid the discomfort of an endoscopy. Researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology have designed a low-cost electronic device that uses gold nano-particles to detect stomach cancer molecules in the breath. The device can also spot signatures of lesions that herald the disease.
Magnetic Bacteria That can Help Diagnose Stomach Cancer Created by Scientists
Scientists have developed a much-needed technique in the form of magnetic bacteria that can help with screening and treating stomach cancers.
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Researchers compared the nano-array device against the benchmark for VOC assessment, a more complex and expensive lab technique using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Each method was used to screen breath samples taken from 484 study participants in Latvia, 99 of whom had already been diagnosed with stomach cancer but had not yet been treated for it. Both the methods accurately spotted those with the cancer, as well as the 'breath prints' of high-risk patients who had lesions that often develop into gastric tumors.
However, experts have raised concerns over the accuracy of the test, as the telltale amounts are only 10 particles per billion or less in a sample of exhaled breath. They have also suggested that further trials should be conducted to confirm whether a precursor condition actually developed into cancer, in order to avoid unnecessary treatment.
The study is published in the Gut.
Source: Medindia
The study is published in the Gut.
Source: Medindia
Research Provides New Hope for Early Detection of Stomach Cancer
Research done at the University of Adelaide has provided new hope for the early detection of stomach cancer with the identification of four new biomarkers in the blood of human cancer patients.
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 Stomach Cancers Distinguished by Genetic DifferencesAn international team of scientists led by researchers at Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School say that stomach cancer is actually two distinct disease variations | Advertisement
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