Development of a non-invasive exhaled breath test for the diagnosis of head and neck cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Improving the ability to identify early-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can improve treatment outcomes and patient morbidity. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of breath analysis as a non-invasive test for detecting HNSCC.

Methods

Standardised breath samples were collected from 181 patients suspected of HNSCC prior to any treatment. A selected ion flow-tube mass spectrometer was used to analyse breath for volatile organic compounds. Diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology. A binomial logistic regression model was used to differentiate breath profiles between cancer and control (benign disease) patients based on mass spectrometry derived variables.

Results

In all, 66% of participants had early-stage primary tumours (T1 and

SUBMITTER: Dharmawardana N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7722848 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature