Volatile organic compounds in breath as markers of lung cancer: a cross-sectional study

Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), principally alkanes and benzene derivatives, have been identified in breath from patients with lung cancer. We investigated whether a combination of VOCs could identify such patients. We collected breath samples from 108 patients with an abnormal chest radiogr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Lancet (British edition) 1999-06, Vol.353 (9168), p.1930-1933
Main Authors: Phillips, Michael, Gleeson, Kevin, Hughes, J Michael B, Greenberg, Joel, Cataneo, Renee N, Baker, Leigh, McVay, W Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Alkanes - analysis
Benzene
Benzene Derivatives - analysis
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis
Breath Tests
Bronchoscopy
Cross-Sectional Studies
Discriminant Analysis
Female
Gas chromatography
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Humans
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Lung cancer
Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis
Lung Neoplasms - epidemiology
Male
Mass spectroscopy
Medical research
Medical sciences
Neoplasm Staging
Organic compounds
Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques
Pneumology
Predictive Value of Tests
Respiratory system
ROC Curve
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum
United States - epidemiology
VOCs
Volatile organic compounds
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), principally alkanes and benzene derivatives, have been identified in breath from patients with lung cancer. We investigated whether a combination of VOCs could identify such patients. We collected breath samples from 108 patients with an abnormal chest radiograph who were scheduled for bronchoscopy. The samples were collected with a portable apparatus, then assayed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The alveolar gradient of each breath VOC, the difference between the amount in breath and in air, was calculated. Forward stepwise discriminant analysis was used to identify VOCs that discriminated between patients with and without lung cancer. Lung cancer was confirmed histologically in 60 patients. A combination of 22 breath VOCs, predominantly alkanes, alkane derivatives, and benzene derivatives, discriminated between patients with and without lung cancer, regardless of stage (all p
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X
DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(98)07552-7