A groundbreaking breath test designed for pancreatic cancer detection is set to enter clinical trials, which could significantly enhance patient care. Experts suggest this innovative approach may “revolutionize” how the disease is diagnosed, particularly in its early stages when it is notoriously challenging to identify.
The study, funded by Pancreatic Cancer UK, represents a major advancement in the fight against this aggressive cancer, being hailed as “the most significant step toward a lifesaving breakthrough in 50 years.” Currently, vague symptoms such as back pain and indigestion often lead to late diagnoses, with a recent audit highlighting that 62% of patients in England and 65% in Wales are diagnosed at stage four of the disease.
Survival rates for pancreatic cancer are alarmingly low, with approximately 22% of patients in England not surviving 30 days post-diagnosis, compared to 21% in Wales. In response to these statistics, researchers at Imperial College London are launching a trial that will include 6,000 patients with undiagnosed conditions across 40 sites in England, Wales, and Scotland. If this breath test proves effective, it may be implemented in general practice within five years, allowing for earlier detection when treatment is more likely to be successful.
The current trial follows a smaller study involving 700 participants over two years, which produced encouraging results. The breath test identifies a combination of “volatile organic compounds” present in a person”s breath. These compounds are released into the bloodstream and expelled through breathing, making it possible to detect cancerous changes even in the earliest stages of the disease. The results of the breath test can be made available to general practitioners within three days, a significant improvement over existing diagnostic methods that often involve scans and hospital referrals.
Diana Jupp, chief executive of Pancreatic Cancer UK, stated, “The breath test has the potential to revolutionize the early detection of pancreatic cancer. It is, undoubtedly, the most significant step toward a lifesaving breakthrough in 50 years. While more years of development are still needed before we can put this exciting new technology into the hands of GPs across the country, thousands of patients with an unknown diagnosis will now help refine it in the real world.”
Professor George Hanna, who leads the project at Imperial College London, emphasized the potential impact of the study, saying, “If our findings from the initial phase of the breath test study can be validated in a population of patients with an unknown diagnosis, it has huge potential to influence clinical practice and pancreatic cancer referral pathways. The funding announced today means we can now move quickly to that patient validation study stage, which is a very exciting next step for us.”
