Breath test for lung cancer to be trialled this year

UK-based company Owlstone Nanotech has devised the LuCID (Lung Cancer Indicator Detection) project - an attempt to non-invasively diagnose lung cancer by measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in patients’ breath. Supported by the University of Leicester’s enterprise and business development team and Leicester’s Hospitals, Owlstone was awarded £1m by the NHS Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) towards the second phase of the LuCID project - clinical trials.

In Phase I of the project, 12 markers of lung cancer were shown to be detectable by Owlstone’s GC-FAIMS (gas chromatography - field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry) technology - a cheaper and smaller alternative to existing detection technologies. The funding for Phase II will be targeted towards the delivery of a breath sampler, a customised breathalyser suitable for use in a doctor’s surgery or hospital, and clinical validation of the method.

“Lung cancer has one of the lowest five-year survival rates of all cancers; however, early diagnosis can greatly improve a patient’s prognosis,” said study leader Dr Salman Siddiqui, a clinical senior lecturer and adult chest physician at the University of Leicester and Glenfield Hospital. “Current diagnostic procedures such as a chest X-ray, CT scan and bronchoscopy are costly and not without risks, so the benefits of a non-invasive, cheaper alternative are clear.”

Evaluation of the FAIMS sensor will be undertaken in a rapid access lung cancer clinic at Glenfield Hospital starting later this year, with results expected in early 2016. If successful, the project will pave the way to evaluate the technology in GPs’ surgeries and other hospitals.

“This project will seek to identify and evaluate biomarkers in order to improve the accuracy and reliability of breath diagnostic methods,” Dr Siddiqui said. “We will also be aiming to establish FAIMS as a faster, less expensive and more portable alternative to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for breath diagnosis applications.”

Owlstone recently carried out a health economic analysis and determined that detection of early-stage lung cancer could be increased from the current 14.5% to 25% by 2020; it is estimated this could save 10,000 lives and £250m of NHS money. The LuCID project aims to achieve this goal.

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