New lung cancer breath test ‘offers diagnostic benefits’

Scientists at the University of Leicester have launched a clinical trial assessing a potentially groundbreaking breath test that can detect lung cancer at its early stages.

Set to be launched at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, the LuCID trial programme will assess a new device that works by measuring volatile organic compounds at low concentrations in a patient's breath.

The system was developed by British biotechnology firm Owlstone Nanotech and utilises GC-FAIMS (gas chromatography – field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry) technology to identify biomarkers that can improve the accuracy and reliability of breath diagnostic methods.

Results will emerge in early 2016 and are expected to reinforce the status of the device as a faster, less expensive and more portable alternative to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Billy Boyle, co-founder of Owlstone, said: "Current diagnostic procedures such as a chest X-ray, CT scan and bronchoscopy are costly and not without risks, so the benefits of a non-invasive, cheaper alternative are clear."

More than 41,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year in the UK, and it has one of the lowest five-year survival rates of all cancer types.