A new simple breath test could help predict whether people with gut problems have a high risk of developing stomach cancer, according to a new study. This new test detects chemical compounds found in people's breath, in an attempt to distinguish "breath prints" in those with risky pre-cancerous changes.
Experts say that if the new test is proven in large trials, it could help spot patients on the brink of developing cancer allowing them to be treated much earlier. Before this test can be approved, more work needs to be done to validate the test.
Stomach cancer in Western countries is often diagnosed much too late when the chance of survival is very low. This is usually due to the fact that many of the symptoms, such as indigestion and pain, are often mistaken for other diseases.
Scientists believe that this new "nanoarray" breath test, that is built upon research in Israel, Latvia and China, could help them detect the cancer much earlier thus improving the prognosis for many patients.
The new test relies on the theory that people with cancer may have unique breath signatures that contain minute chemical compounds that are not found in the breath of people that do not have the illness.
For the new study, researchers studied breath samples from 145 patients. Around 30 of the patients already had stomach cancer. The rest had been referred for investigations because of concerning symptoms. They did not have full blown cancer, but some had worrying changes that doctors call "pre-cancerous" that could develop into malignancies.
In the early tests, scientists found that it was faily good at distinguishing cancerous samples from non-cancerous ones and it showed promise at identifying worrying pre-cancerous changes that could develop into the disease.
However, it was not accurate in every case and some patients were misdiagnosed as being high risk. Scientists say more work is needed before it is ready to use in clinics.
"Diagnosing cancer in its early stages offers patients the best chance of successful treatment, so research like this has potential to help save lives" Dr. Emma Smith of Cancer Research UK says. "But we would need to be sure the test is sensitive and accurate enough to be used more widely."
Researchers now plan to expand the testing and have already begun new research involving thousands of European patients in an effort to discover the true effectiveness of this new test.
