Significant different volatile biomarker during bronchoscopic ion mobility spectrometry investigation of patients suffering lung carcinoma

Abstract

Exhaled breath of patients suffering non-small bronchial carcinoma contains volatile organic compounds (VOC) different from healthy people. VOCs could be detected using ion mobility spectrometry down to the pg/L range even in air directly. To date, the origin of the different VOCs found is insecure. Such VOCs could be a direct product of the metabolism of the tumor or relatable to mostly present co-factors like infections or necrosis or a reaction of the human organism to the tumor (e.g. oxidativ stress). In the present study the breath of 19 patients suffering from confirmed NSCLC (non-small-cell lung carcinoma) with different histological types was investigated. In all cases flexible video-chip bronchoscopy was realized. Before taking samples for histological investigations in the lung on both main bronchi, samples of air were taken using a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon) tube as catheter directly from the working channel of a bronchoscope and connected directly to the inlet of the ion mobility spectrometer. The measurement was started immediately. In total, 72 common peaks could be identified. 5 Peaks were significantly varying between the tumor site and the collateral lung. Considering adenocarcinoma, one peak separates both sites clearly and was relatable to the dimer of n-Dodecane. Two peaks were found on squamous cell carcinoma and relatable to 2-Butanol or 2-Methylfuran and Nonanal. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were, for adenocarcinoma 100%, 75%, 80% and 100%, respectively -for squamous cell carcinoma 78%/78%, 67%/78%, 70%/80% and 75%/88%, for 2-Butanol and Nonanal respectively. Therefore, VOCs obtained from bronchoscopic sampling of breath could be detected using ion mobility spectrometry. The present study suggests that lung carcinoma with different histology will be represented by different volatile analytes.

Exhaled Breath Analysis for Lung Cancer Detection Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry

“…First, the sample size was small and larger sample studies are required. Although more patient breath samples are needed to overcome potential problems with statistical investigations, in previous literature sample sizes for breath analysis had been smaller when compared to the present study [36] – [37] . Beside the major question to have more breath samples of patients than peaks to overcome potential problems with statistical investigations in general, here 89 samples were investigated and 115 peaks were found.…”

“…Direct airway sampling under bronchoscopy was negligible for oral odor and some VOC peaks displayed significant differences between the lung tumor site and the normal site. Moreover, some VOC peaks, 2-Butanol, 2-Methylfuran and n-Nonanal, proved useful to separate adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma [36] – [37] . For lung adenocarcinoma, n-Dodecane was found to be an important VOC peak for both breath analysis and bronchoscopic sampling and was reported to be associated to patients with lung cancer [36] – [37] .…”

Breath analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and electronic nose to screen for pleural mesothelioma: a cross-sectional case-control study

“…Furthermore, we found diethyl ether and nonanal important discriminators of MPM from AEx and/or ARD patients. These compounds are also found discriminative for lung cancer and are likely to be associated with tumorigenesis [ 20 - 22 ]. This adds to the plausibility of the discriminating capacity of these compounds of MPM.…”

Detection of halitosis in breath: Between the past, present, and future

“…Inflammation, oxidative stress, anaerobic conditions, enzymatic activity, bacteria and microbiome populations, and other patho‐mechanisms are known causes of volatolomic alterations (Amann, Miekisch, Pleil, Risby, & Schubert, ; Broza, Mochalski, Ruzsanyi, Amann, & Haick, ; Miekisch, Schubert, & Noeldge‐Schomburg, ). Non‐invasive and easy to perform, the analysis of exhaled breath revealed the presence of dozens of VOCs, detectable in low concentrations, so analysis of the exhaled volatolome has the potential for both disease diagnosis and classification (Amann, Corradi, Mazzone, & Mutti, ; Barash, Peled, Hirsch, & Haick, ; Baumbach et al., ; Hakim et al., ; Karban et al., ; Nakhleh, Amal et al., ; Nakhleh et al. ; Sinues, Zenobi, & Kohler, ; Tisch et al., ).…”