Non-invasive diagnostic testing for Gastro-intestinal disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Non-invasive testing for the diagnosis and assessment of Gastro-intestinal disease
IRAS ID
142097
Contact name
George Hanna
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Research summary
Research Summary
The incidence of oesophago-gastric cancer is increasing annually, in 2009 in the UK 15,656 patients were diagnosed. The presence of screening programs may account for the less aggressive cancers seen in the Far East, which may be responsible for the observed survival differences. Current endoscopy guidelines in western countries indicate that younger patients presenting with heartburn but without other more concerning symptoms do not require endoscopy. This difference in endoscopic screening criteria has been suggested as one potential explanation for younger patients presenting with a more aggressive oesophageal malignancy.
Patients diagnosed with cancer are thought to have ‘characteristic smell patterns’ which are different from healthy individuals. These ‘characteristic smell patterns’ in patients with cancer are thought to be due to a change in their underlying physiology and the generation of specific metabolites from the cancer itself.Our group has undertaken some initial work, comparing metabolites in liquid from the stomach, urine and breath, in normal patients and patients with oesophago-gastric cancer. We have been able to identify metabolites that differ significantly between these two groups, in all three substances. However the limitations of this work include that it was undertaken in a small group of patients in a single hospital.
In this current multi-centre study we want to overcome the limitations of our previous work, by increasing the number of patients and hospitals. We hope this will allow for wider acceptance of the results in medical community, and move this valuable test forward into mainstream medical practice. One major advantage of breath and urine testing is that they are easy to undertake and painless for the patient. This study of products in breath and urine is potentially an extremely useful test for the detection of gastrointestinal diseases including cancer to allow treatment at an early stage improving overall survival.
Lay summary of study results:
In a multicenter diagnostic study of of 335 patients with cancer of the stomach and food pipe (oesophagus), including 172 patients with both types of cancer (OG), the breath test demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy of detecting cancer entirely non- invaisvely.This study suggests the potential of breath analysis as a noninvasive tool in the diagnosis of OG cancer.
Summary of Results
In a multicenter diagnostic study of of 335 patients with cancer of the stomach and food pipe (oesophagus), including 172 patients with both types of cancer (OG), the breath test demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy of detecting cancer entirely non- invaisvely.
This study suggests the potential of breath analysis as a noninvasive tool in the diagnosis of OG cancer.REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1136
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion