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A European research consortium has just unveiled the prototype of an electronic nose, soon capable of detecting bronchopulmonary cancers.
Lung cancer: early detection is essential
In cancer, the earlier the disease is detected, the greater the chances of recovery. For bronchopulmonary cancers, the difference is very significant because the life expectancy of a person diagnosed early is 90% at 5 years, against less than 20% for those whose diagnosis will have been made late.
Faced with this cancer, the interest of early detection is therefore crucial (it has thus led the health authorities to launch this year a first experiment with screening among smokers.
Today, scientists are presenting an original option at the Lille University Hospital: a prototype artificial nose, capable of detecting bronchopulmonary cancers from the breath of patients.
A “nose” capable of detecting cancer
“Imagine an electronic nose connected to a mobile phone: people would blow into it and their doctor would see a green light, meaning “no risk of cancer”, or a red light, signaling the need for screening by scanner.“explains Dr. Régis Matran, pulmonologist at the Lille University Hospital, during a press conference within the establishment.
“The loop can also be done in the other direction. The electronic nose can help better characterize questionable abnormalities, discovered on a lung CT scan” adds the specialist.
Like the nose of a “sniffer dog”
This prototype, developed within the framework of the European project “Pathacov“, is a machine made up of sensors and a large “nose” that looks more like a mask, made to collect human breath. “All human cells release volatile organic compounds”, which creates odors. “When an organ becomes cancerous, the VOCs released change, we then speak of the molecular signature of a disease“adds the specialist.
This is how sensors detect the presence of disease, through these compounds. A bit like sniffer dogs, capable of detecting the presence of breast or lung cancer.
An in-depth study on the olfactory signature of cancers
To enable the device to recognize the different VOCs, a large study was carried out, including 750 healthy patients and nearly 500 patients affected by bronchopulmonary cancer.
At the moment, the nose has been tested in the laboratory on artificial breath. It must now be tested in real conditions, the device will also have to be miniaturized. Objective: that it can eventually equip the offices of general practitioners, in order to carry out a simple and non-invasive screening during a consultation.