Analyzing patients’ breathing helps determine the risk of developing head and neck cancer.
- Researchers have succeeded in detecting the presence of head and neck cancers by analyzing patients’ breath.
Head and neck cancers represent 6% of cancers worldwide and cause more than 300,000 deaths each year. Knowing how to detect them well is essential since existing treatments are effective when these cancers are detected at an early stage. The later it is, the worse the prognosis. Australian researchers at Flinders University in Adelaide may have found a revolutionary screening method: an inexpensive, non-invasive breath test. They published the results of their discovery on September 9 in the British Journal of Cancer.
Simple and non-invasive tests
These two types of cancer form in the upper aerodigestive tract, ie the lips, tongue, mouth, throat and larynx, salivary glands, nasopharynx or sinuses and nasal cavity. Researchers have looked at breath as a factor in determining the presence of these cancers. They collected breath samples from 181 patients suspected of having one of these early-stage diseases. They used mass spectrometry, which is an analysis technique that makes it possible to identify molecules of interest by measuring their mass, to search for volatile organic compounds in patients.
The advantage of this method is that it is simple to perform, inexpensive and non-invasive. “We sought to pinpoint exactly what breath analysis is as a non-invasive test for detecting head and neck cancers. Ultimately, this could lead to the development of a simple method that can improve treatment outcomes and patient morbidity.”, advances Dr. Roger Yazbek, who participated in the study.
Promote the use of the test
The results of these breath tests showed that 66% of the volunteers had early-stage primary tumors and 58% regional lymph node metastases. A diagnosis confirmed by analyzes of tissue biopsies which confirm the accuracy of the tests. “Thanks to these promising results, we hope to test the method in healthcare centers, such as clinics or general practitioners’ offices, in order to promote its use and thus facilitate the early detection of these cancers.”, rejoiced Dr. Nuwan Dharmawardana, the co-lead author.
The risk factors for these cancers are tobacco, alcohol and poor oral hygiene. The symptoms that should alert are: pain when swallowing, bad breath, a mass in the lymph nodes, a change in the voice and difficulty in breathing.
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