New Device Sniffs Out Lung Cancer

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

I just found this, and thought others might find it interesting, considering how much of a problem Cancer is. Having had a few members of my family suffer as a result of Cancer, I think any progress against it is reason for applause.

An "electronic nose" can identify people with lung cancer by detecting distinct characteristics in their exhaled breath, researchers report.

"Based on prior work, we hypothesized that an 'electronic nose' would detect lung cancer on the basis of complex 'smellprints' of numerous volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath from individuals with lung cancer, as compared with individuals with other, noncancer lung disease or healthy controls," developer Dr. Serpil C. Erzurum of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation said in a prepared statement...

Full article here: http://health.discovery.com/news/hea...jsp?aid=526025

P.S. Notice where the Clinic Foundation is located?

[lv619]

Sounds great, but how early in the development stages of the cancer would this device be able to pick up the "scent" (as early detection is vital)... hopefully the research continues with this as I’m sure it could potentially save many lives in the future.

[Psycho Chicken]

All the best things come out of that city!

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Originally Posted by lv619

Sounds great, but how early in the development stages of the cancer would this device be able to pick up the "scent" (as early detection is vital)... hopefully the research continues with this as I’m sure it could potentially save many lives in the future.

That's a good question, one I thought of myself too, but I think the most important thing is that it's a sign of progress in the battle against cancer, and as far as I am concerned, any new method of detecting cancer is a step in the right direction.

Besides, this technology might eventually be able to be used to detect other cancers.