Breath Test Detects Lung Cancer In Early Stages
A new breath test has been
reported to detect lung cancer in its early stage. Lung cancer is the
leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and doctors believe
that early detection could offer sufferers their best chance for early
survival.
Dr. Michael Phillips, CEO of Menssana Research, the company that
developed the breath test, said, "We developed a breathalyzer that is one
billion times more sensitive than those the police use to measure alcohol
in the breath. It detects around 200 different chemicals in a person's
breath, and some of these chemicals are markers of cancer. A breath test
has great advantages over most other medical tests - it is completely safe,
painless and non-invasive. All you have to do is breathe gently into a tube
for two minutes. There are no potentially dangerous x-rays to worry about,
and it will certainly be a lot less expensive than chest imaging."
In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that will be
published in Cancer Biomarkers, researchers studied 404 smokers and
ex-smokers aged over 60. The breath test predicted lung cancer with almost
the same accuracy as computerized tomography, or chest CT, the best
screening test for lung cancer currently available.
Early detection is essential to save lives. Lung cancer affects more than
170,000 Americans annually and more than 95% of them are dead within 5
years if the tumor has metastasized to other organs, versus only 20% if the
tumor is found while it is still confined to the lung.
The breath test will not be available in the USA until approved by the
Food and Drug Administration, but may be available sooner in the European
Union.
Menssana Research is developing breath tests to detect several other diseases in their early stages, including pulmonary tuberculosis, *** cancer, and ischemic heart disease.
Menssana Research, Inc.