Researchers in the UK have launched a clinical trial to see if a breath test device could detect the presence of cancer at an early stage. 

They aim to collect and analyse breath samples from 1,500 participants at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge over the next two years to see if odorous molecules called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be detected by using the Breath Biopsy technology of Cambridge-based Owlstone Medical, the company funding the trial. 

VOCs are released when cells carry out biochemical reactions as part of their metabolism. In cancer and other conditions, cells can release a different pattern of VOCs, which researchers aim to see if the technology can identify. The plan is to work out whether different types of cancer produce different patterns that the device can spot at an early stage.

According to Cancer Research UK, people that are at higher risk of certain cancers “could be the first to benefit” from this kind of test. If it is proven, researchers say it could potentially be used as a "screening tool to find early cancers in people without symptoms of cancer”. 

“We urgently need to develop new tools, like this breath test, which could help to detect and diagnose cancer earlier, giving patients the best chance of surviving their disease,” said Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, lead trial investigator at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre.

“Through this clinical trial we hope to find signatures in breath needed to detect cancers earlier – it’s the crucial next step in developing this technology. Owlstone Medical’s Breath Biopsy technology is the first to test across multiple cancer types, potentially paving the way for a universal breath test.”

The clinical trial will start with patients with suspected oesophageal and stomach cancers. It will then be extended to people with suspected prostate, kidney, bladder, liver and pancreatic cancers, and it will also include healthy people. They will be asked to breathe into the device for 10 minutes, and samples will be processed at Owlstone Medical’s laboratory in Cambridge.

“There is increasing potential for breath-based tests to aid diagnosis, sitting alongside blood and urine tests in an effort to help doctors detect and treat disease. The concept of providing a whole-body snapshot in a completely non-invasive way is very powerful and could reduce harm by sparing patients from more invasive tests that they don’t need,” said Billy Boyle, the company’s co-founder and CEO.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Cancer Research UK will be carrying out the trial in conjunction with Owlstone Medical.

Twitter: @1Leontina
Contact the author: lpostelnicu@himss.org