Scientists Develop Breath Test for Early Detection of Lung Cancer
A new breath test has been developed by scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute in Bad Nauheim, Germany, which can detect lung cancer in its early stages. The test is based on the principle of dogs’ sense of smell, which can detect certain types of cancer with high accuracy. The researchers have developed a detector that can identify volatile, specific substances released by cancerous tumors. The detector can detect changes in RNA molecules caused by cancer growth, which are different from DNA and can be used to identify whether a patient is healthy or sick.
Lung cancer is often diagnosed too late, which is one of the main reasons why patients often die around five years after diagnosis. In the US, doctors use routine examinations for high-risk groups, such as heavy smokers, to detect lung cancer early. However, this method often leads to false positives, which can cause unnecessary psychological stress and anxiety. The new breath test is a more reliable method for early detection of lung cancer.
The researchers isolated RNA molecules from lung tissue of healthy and sick patients to develop the test. The results showed significant differences between healthy and sick patients, and the test was able to identify lung cancer in 59 out of 60 patients. Although the test is not a replacement for traditional methods of lung cancer detection, it can be used as a complementary tool to detect early stages of cancer and reduce false-positive diagnoses. The researchers plan to use RNA profiles to detect other diseases in the future, as RNA allows for the detection of even the smallest changes in tissue and cell diseases.
