Cancer is among the top alarmingly spreading diseases. In most cases early detection leads to cure. Researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology have found success by employing recent studies in nanotechnology. Dr. Hossam Haick, the principal researcher and his team have developed a breathanalyser to detect lung cancer. It is simple, portable, non-invasive and affordable. The work appears in the current issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

The team collected breath samples from 56 healthy volunteers and 40 lung cancer patients who have not received treatment yet. They identified 33 biomarkers, chemicals that were present at higher levels in the cancer patients. The team devised a sensor system that responded to the biomarkers.

When the researchers exposed the sensors to untreated breath samples, they obtained readings that distinguished between the exhalations of healthy volunteers and lung cancer patients, regardless of the humidity of the breath or smoking habits. The process was reversible, meaning the nanoparticles can be reused. The researchers now need to test their sensors on “a wider population of volunteers to thoroughly probe the influence of diet, alcohol consumption, metabolic state, and genetics.”

However, it has not been established how sensitive the sensors are to different stages of lung cancer. The patients in this study had stages 3 or 4 of lung cancer. It is important to know if the sensors are useful in stages 1 and 2 thus helping to improve chances of survival.

A significant step forward has been taken but much work still remains.

Via ArsTechnica