Breath can reveal whether a person has breast cancer in the earliest stage, researchers in South Korea say.
According to UPI, biotechnology company RNL Nature conducted a study of 35 women in Seoul who were diagnosed with breast cancer and 35 healthy women without breast cancer. Inspired by canines’ ability to recognize distinct scents, researchers used a breathalyzer to "recognize patterns of volatile organic compounds."
They found that breath analysis can help to screen women and detect the presence of cancer at a very early stage. It is also pain-free and cost effective, they say.
"With the breathalyzer, there is a pathway for breast cancer to be detected at the earliest stages and treatment can be started sooner," the RNL researchers wrote in a statement. "This method of screening is simple and painless. It is available to women who are concerned about the disease and can get tested sooner. Costs are also lower for screening and treatment through the breathalyzer."
According to officials at the company, a patent for the device is pending. Additional findings from the research will be available after they are published at the end of the year, UPI said.
About 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be found in American women in 2011, the American Cancer Society estimates.
