Breath analysis could assist diagnosis of pulmonary nodules

Breath testing could be utilised to distinguish between malignant and benign pulmonary nodules.

That is according to a pilot study published in the October 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Between March 2009 and May 2010, 74 patients who were under investigation for pulmonary nodules attended a referral clinic in Colorado.

Exhaled breath from each patient was collected by researchers from Israel and Colorado. The exhaled volatile organic compounds were analysed using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and information from chemical nanorrays, developed by Professor Hossam Haick and his colleagues in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

According to which was needed for the final diagnosis, the patients also endured a wedge resection, lobectomy or a bronchoscopy.

Nodules that were measured as benign were considered to be ones that remained stable or regressed over a 24 month period.

Pulmonary nodules were accurately identified by the two techniques as either malignant – 53 were found – or benign – 19 were found.

The nanoarrays technique distinguishes between early and advanced stages of a disease. It also discriminates between squamous cell and adenocarcinoma carcinoma.

Some of the issues that computed tomography screening has produced may be helped by this type of testing.

This testing could be applied to patients who were found to have pulmonary nodules after CT screening, as a secondary screener.

Low-dose CT screening has lowered the mortality rate by 20 per cent, however many patients have to experience invasive measures just to learn that they have non-cancerous pulmonary nodules. The rate of false positive tests is 96 per cent.

"The reported breath test in this study could have significant impact on reducing unnecessary investigation and reducing the risk of procedure-related morbidity and costs. In addition, it could facilitate faster therapeutic intervention, replacing time-consuming clinical follow-up that would eventually lead to the same intervention," the authors said.

Posted by Ben Evans