Breath Testing in Laryngeal Cancer

It is possible to test a sample of breath from a patient, run it through a machine, and find out certain diseases in the patient without needing to do Xrays. It is sort of like a"breathalyser".In the future it is hoped this type of testing will be common, and allow certain conditions to be picked up early. One of these conditions is Cancer of the Larynx (voice box). It is not in wide use yet however a study has shown it is very effective in detecting Larynx cancer.

This breath test has detected cancers at a stage when they CAN be seen on Xrays or looking in with cameras. However the larger the cancer ultimately the worse it is for the patient. It would therefore be much better to have the breath test find patients with cancers at a much smaller size. It is interesting that the cancers which the breath test HAVE found all have the same breath test signal, regardless of size. This means even smaller cancers may have the same signal. These small cancers are only 1-2 mm thick, and when found at this size almost all can be cured. We want to find a group of patients who have these early cancers and compare it to breath test result in patients who have large obvious cancers. These patients will be compared to other patients who have are negative for larynx cancer who also have a breath test. We want to prove that their breath test will be negative.

You have been referred either because you have symptoms (such as cough or hoarse voice) and need a scope to look into the airways, OR your specialist has identified a spot on the larynx which needs a biopsy (sample) and then possible treatment, The spot may or may not be cancer- that is why the biopsy is needed. After that the correct treatment would be considered depending on the result, that is, whether it is a cancer or not. If possible we would like to take a test of your breath before the biopsy. Alternatively we can take a breath test 2 weeks after a biopsy.

In summary this study is trying to show whether the breath test is the same in patients who have large cancers as patients with small cancers invisible on XRay and only found with careful magnification by scopes looking in. If we can show these findings it will demonstrate great potential for the breath test to find many more cancers which are truly curable.