According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lung cancer is the third most frequent cancer in the United States yet has the highest mortality rate.
Lung cancer is frequently diagnosed late, which typically results in few treatment options and eventually raises the likelihood of death from the disease.
In a study recently completed and published in the journal PLOS One, researchers from the University of Louisville presented a newly discovered lung cancer detection test that may identify which volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are more likely to be present in lung cancer patients.
How is cancer currently detected?
Currently, patients at high risk are provided with CT scans to help diagnose lung cancer. A lot of research is being done on the early detection of cancer, from the GRAIL study, which published some of its findings from its attempt to develop a blood test that can detect cancer and determine where it is in the body, to epigenetic testing, which can determine whether a person has ovarian, breast, or cervical cancer based on cervical smear samples. When additional treatment options become available, researchers think early detection will save lives and money. Use of VOC is conceivable.
Dr. Mike Davies of the University of Liverpool, a lung cancer researcher who works closely with the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, asserts that since chemicals from all over the body are carried to the lungs by blood, volatile chemicals found in exhaled air are not always brought on by lung cancer tumor's.
