Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Scientists say they have developed a breath-test that can accurately tell if a person has bowel cancer.
The test, which looks for exhaled chemicals linked to tumour activity, was able to identify a majority of patients with the disease.
The British Journal of Surgery reported an overall accuracy of 76%.
However, another scientist said it was unlikely a fully functioning and reliable breath-test would be available soon for the general public.
Scientists are working on breath-tests for a host of other diseases, including several types of cancer, TB and diabetes.
If diagnosed and treated early, the chances of stopping cancer can be good, but there is often little or no outward sign of the disease until it has progressed significantly.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20599238
The test, which looks for exhaled chemicals linked to tumour activity, was able to identify a majority of patients with the disease.
The British Journal of Surgery reported an overall accuracy of 76%.
However, another scientist said it was unlikely a fully functioning and reliable breath-test would be available soon for the general public.
Scientists are working on breath-tests for a host of other diseases, including several types of cancer, TB and diabetes.
If diagnosed and treated early, the chances of stopping cancer can be good, but there is often little or no outward sign of the disease until it has progressed significantly.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20599238