Israeli Scientists May Be Able to Detect Lung Cancer in Breath
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A new innovation developed by scientists in Israel may be able to detect traces of lung cancer in human breath, by identifying molecules linked to the condition. The device would be hand-held and easy to use, and could potentially be available at any family doctor or general practitioner’s office, in the future.
1.3 million people die of lung cancer every year, with 50% dying in the first year after diagnosis, and 80% within the first two years. It is notoriously difficult to detect while in early stages.
Dr. Hossam Haick, the device’s inventor, says he hopes a similar process, or even a single device, would be able to diagnose nearly any cancer in the future. Such an achievement would dramatically increase survival rates for nearly any cancer that could be detected that way, since cancer is most treatable when detected early.
The process was tested on 62 human patients, two-thirds of which have cancer. The study is published in Nature Nanotechnology. The device was said to have 87% accuracy in diagnosing early-stage lung cancer. Making such tests a routine part of doctors’ check-ups could make a significant difference in the number of people dying from the disease.
Dr. Haick says the device itself may eventually be brought down to the size of a mobile phone. It had previously been found that dogs can detect the presence of cancer, but only with about 50% accuracy.
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[...] new innovation developed by scientists in Israel may be able to detect traces of lung cancer in human breath, by identifying molecules linked to the condition. The device would be hand-held [...]