Breath Test Could Help Detect Blood Cancers

Blood cancers affect thousands of people annually, with around 40,000 new diagnoses and 16,000 deaths each year in the UK alone. Diagnosing these cancers can be especially difficult in the early stages, as symptoms like fatigue and weight loss are vague and nonspecific. Current diagnostic methods rely on specialized tests such as imaging scans or biopsies, which are often costly, time-consuming, and not readily available in many regions. This lack of accessible and rapid testing limits early detection, which is crucial for successful treatment outcomes. Researchers have now identified certain molecules exhaled in the breath that could indicate the presence of blood cancers, opening the door to a non-invasive, low-cost, and rapid testing alternative.

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London (London, UK) conducted a study using a breathalyser technology called Breath Biopsy, developed by Owlstone Medical (Cambridge, UK). In the trial, the team collected exhaled breath samples from 46 people with blood cancer and 28 healthy individuals. The breath samples were analyzed using mass spectrometry to identify thousands of molecular fragments and establish chemical fingerprints. The study focused particularly on high-grade lymphoma, an aggressive form of blood cancer, and found significantly elevated levels of certain molecules in patients' breath. These molecules are associated with oxidative stress, a process linked to cell damage and cancer development. The goal was to determine whether blood cancer cells release molecules that transfer into the breath, offering a novel detection method.

Image: Molecules exhaled in the breath may help detect blood cancer (Photo courtesy of Owlstone Medical)

Published in HemaSphere, the study showed for the first time that breath analysis could help detect blood cancers. The simplicity, portability, and affordability of breathalyser devices offer significant advantages, especially in low-resource settings that lack access to specialized diagnostic infrastructure. These devices could help monitor treatment progress and reduce dependency on expensive scans. Further research will focus on understanding how these airborne molecules are produced and determining which subtypes of lymphoma are most detectable through this method. The team also aims to shorten breath collection times from 10 minutes to just a few seconds and improve the sensitivity and specificity of future breath tests.

“In future, rather than sending patients away for costly scans and waiting for test results, doctors may be able to conduct a quick breath test in their clinic room and potentially have the results within a few seconds,” said Dr. John Riches, lead researcher of the study.

Related Links;
Queen Mary University of London
Owlstone Medical