Experts say breath test can detect stomach cancer

An early study has shown that, with a simple breath test, one could find whether people with gut problems are at a high risk of developing stomach cancer.

If proven in large trials, experts say it could also detect patients prone to being cancerous, so that they can begin treatment early enough.

The test, which appears in the journal Guts, detects chemical compounds in people’s breath, while attempting to distinguish unique breath prints in those with risky pre-cancerous changes.

"Diagnosing cancer in its early stages offers patients the best chance of successful treatment, so research like this has potential to help save lives,” said Dr Emma Smith from the Cancer Research UK.

Smith added, “But we would need to be sure the test is sensitive and accurate enough to be used more widely."

The new Nanoarray breath test compliments previous researches from Israel, Latvia and China.

In the study, breath samples from 145 patients were studied, of whom 30 were already known to have stomach cancer.

It is believed that people with cancer may have distinguished breath signs.

According to BBC, stomach cancer affects about 7,300 people each year in the UK.