Stomach cancer diagnosed with breath test
A new study says cancer is now the number one killer of US hispanics.
Doctors may soon be able to diagnose stomach cancer with a breath test.
Researchers from China and Israel have developed a quick and simple test exmaining compounds in human breath that can distinguish between gastric cancers, ulcers and other common stomach ailments, the National Post reported.
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The test was 90 percent accurate in a first trial among 130 patients.
It's long been known that some cancers give off odors undetected by the human nose, according to The Guardian.
In 2010, a study was published documenting how dogs had been trained to sniff out lung cancers.
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But the stomach cancer breath test takes that concept into more measurable territory, making it possible to detect such cancers earlier and possibly save lives, researchers said in the British Journal of Cancer.
Currently, diagnosing stomach cancer is a very invasive process.
Doctors typically take a biopsy of the stomach lining using a probe and a flexible camera inserted into a patient's mouth and down their throat, according to BBC News.
Other breath tests, including one for lung cancer, are also being developed.