It sounds freaky, but it seems to work: Researchers have developed a sensory device known as an electronic nose that can sniff a persons breath and tell whether he or she has as-yet undetected cancer. Even more amazing: the nose can distinguish between kinds of cancers. So far, that includes breast, lung, prostate and bowel.
The results of a test on the device, which is still in its early stages, appeared in the British Journal of Cancer. The study of 177 volunteers was done at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, in Haifa, Israel.
As a cancer grows, the surface of its cells give off chemicals; the study found that the sensory device could be detected on the breath. Abraham Kuten, a Technion professor and co-author of the study, told the Discovery Channel, If we can confirm these initial results in large-scale studies, this new technology could become a simple tool for early diagnosis of cancer along with imaging.
Another benefit, Kuten said: "It could also be an easy way to assess and monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment and detect relapses earlier."
The research is still in an early stage and will be tested some more in large-scale studies. But its encouraging news for both cancer patients and cancer survivors.
