One in two people will get cancer in their lifetimes. Globally, lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world with 2.1 million new cases identified in 2018. ln the early stages, the chance of surviving cancer is ten times higher and the cost of treatment ten times lower than in the later stages, and so detecting cancer early is by far the best way to improve cancer survival.

The Breath Biopsy Lung Cancer Screening Test in development involves a combination of VOCs associated with lung cancer from an early stage, and an EVOC Probe administered from outside the body to target specific cancer pathways. Both sets of biomarkers can be detected non-invasively though Breath Biopsy and work is underway to integrate them into a single cancer detection analysis. Our work suggests that almost 90% of Stage I lung cancers can be targeted, with the potential to have a transformative effect on cancer detection.

• NEWS: BBC’s ‘Look East’ news program featured Owlstone Medical’s latest trial, a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial for breath-based lung cancer detection using a metabolic probe targeting tumor specific extracellular β-glucuronidase.
• PRESENTATION:  Targeting tumour associated aldo-keto reductase with exogenous volatile organic compound (EVOC) Probes using High-Capacity Sorptive Extraction (HiSorb) headspace GCMS to detect lung cancer - Alexandra Martin at BBCon22
• PUBLICATION: Chemical signature of colorectal cancer, case–control study for profiling the breath print – Researchers at University Aldo Moro of Bari identify VOCs with discriminatory ability in detecting patients with colorectal cancer.
• PUBLICATION: Relationship between cancer tissue derived and exhaled volatile organic compound from colorectal cancer patients.
• ARTICLE: Breath test for cancer: biomarker screening is underway - Michele Wilson from Technology Networks looks into the breath research field and its potential to act as a diagnostic tool.
• REVIEW: The potential of breath analysis to improve outcome for patients with lung cancer.
• ARTICLE: The Pathologist looks at breath biomarkers – An article summarising the use of breath for early detection and precision medicine.