TUESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A color-sensitive test that detects a unique chemical signature in the breath can predict the presence of lung cancer with moderate accuracy, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in Thorax.
Peter J. Mazzone, M.D., and colleagues from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, assessed the accuracy of a colorimetric sensor array that detects volatile organic compounds in the breath to predict the presence of lung cancer. The array was tested in 143 individuals: 49 with lung cancer, 73 with various lung diseases and 21 controls.
Using 70 percent of the sample, the researchers developed a model that was used to predict lung cancer in the remaining subjects. They found that the model predicted lung cancer with a sensitivity of 73.3 percent and a specificity of 72.4 percent.
"The unique chemical signature of the breath of patients with lung cancer can be detected with moderate accuracy by a colorimetric sensor assay," Mazzone and colleagues conclude.
Abstract
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