Discriminant Profiles of Volatile Compounds in the Alveolar Air of Patients with Squamous Cell Lung Cancer, Lung Adenocarcinoma or Colon Cancer

Abstract

The objective of the present work was to analyze volatile compounds in alveolar air in patients with squamous cell lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma or colon cancer, to prepare algorithms able to discriminate such specific pathological conditions. The concentration of 95 volatile compounds was measured in the alveolar air of 45 control subjects, 36 patients with lung adenocarcinoma, 25 patients with squamous cell lung cancer and 52 patients with colon cancer. Volatile compounds were measured with ion molecule reaction mass spectrometry (IMR-MS). An iterated least absolute shrinkage and selection operator multivariate logistic regression model was used to generate specific algorithms and discriminate control subjects from patients with different kinds of cancer. The final predictive models reached the following performance: by using 11 compounds, patients with lung adenocarcinoma were identified with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 84%; nine compounds allowed us to identify patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 84%; patients with colon adenocarcinoma could be identified with a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 73% using a model comprising 13 volatile compounds. The different alveolar profiles of volatile compounds, obtained from patients with three different kinds of cancer, suggest dissimilar biological–biochemistry conditions; each kind of cancer has probably got a specific alveolar profile.

Systematic Review: Contribution of the Gut Microbiome to the Volatile Metabolic Fingerprint of Colorectal Neoplasia

“…Included studies were published between 2008 and 2022 and consisted of 71 original studies [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 …”

“…The majority (n = 68) analyzed CRC cases compared to controls and eight studies included adenomas [ 33 , 36 , 45 , 68 , 69 , 96 , 97 , 98 ]. VOCs were analyzed in several biological matrices, including feces (n = 11) [ 31 , 33 , 36 , 49 , 52 , 63 , 87 , 89 , 90 , 92 , 98 ], urine (n = 9) [ 34 , 35 , 62 , 65 , 74 , 75 , 78 , 80 , 82 ], breath (n = 10) [ 28 , 29 , 40 , 51 , 60 , 61 , 70 , 72 , 85 , 96 ], blood (n = 21) [ 37 , 38 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 53 , 56 , 57 , 66 , 67 ,…”

“…Other proteolytic fermentation products were detected [ 41 , 61 ] but trends were inconclusive as were they for terpenes [ 40 ]. Observations of SCFAs between studies were inconsistent, but they were repeatedly reported as important VOCs [ 28 , 41 , 72 ]. Similarly, lactic acid was raised in concentration in CRC cases [ 96 ].…”

Use of Omics Technologies for the Detection of Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers

“…The volatilome, volatile organic compounds (VOC) profile, is being used in the detection of CRC. Alterations in the metabolism of cancer cells can be reflected in a characteristic profile of VOCs, as these compounds are produced in metabolic processes such as inflammation, cancer metabolic alterations, and necrosis processes [29][30][31][32][33]. Cancer-associated VOCs are directly excreted from the affected organ or tissue to stool or blood.…”

“…De Vietro et al have shown differences in the release of VOCs between normal and cancerous colonic mucosa, the latter releasing higher amounts of benzaldehyde, benzene ethyl, and indole; these compounds can be detected in the breath of patients [30]. Politi and collaborators analysed the VOCs of different types of cancers, and specifically reported dinitrogen oxide, nitrous acid, acetic acid, and 1,3-butadiene in the breath of CRC patients [32].…”