Medics Blown Away by Cancer Research

University Hospital of North Staffordshire is at the forefront of world research into how cancer can be identified. Academics and clinicians are working together to develop a machine that identifies signs of lung cancer by analysing people's breath. The hope is that patients will be able to have their breath screened after blowing into a machine rather than more invasive methods.

Dr Josep Sule-Suso, Oncology Associate Specialist, believes the potential benefits will be enormous. He said: "Take lung cancer for example, it is the biggest killer of all the cancers and survival rates are so low because people are not diagnosed soon enough. This means their treatment starts too late so this machine, which could take the place of complex X-rays, could break that spiral and save lives. It will allow us to screen entire at-risk groups of the population, such as smokers or workers in heavy industry, by giving them a simple breath test."

The machine, developed at University Hospital's Guy Hilton Research Centre in collaboration with Keele University, measures tracer gases in the breath. If the gases are found at abnormally high levels it indicates the presence of a disease. It is hoped a hand-held model can be mass-produced for use on hospital wards and in GP surgeries.

Professor David Smith has spent the past 15 years working alongside Prof Patrik Spanel on breath analysis. Prof Smith said: "We can now analyse 15 tracer gases in breath, which indicate the presence of cystic fibrosis in children, renal disease, cannabis use, celiac disease and diabetes, and now we are moving on to lung cancer. I am looking forward to the day when every GP surgery in the land is asking patients to blow into one of these machines as that will make a massive difference to the diagnosing of so many illnesses."

(pictured: Dr Josep Sule-Suso, Prof David Smith and Prof Patrik Spanel)