Work

Electrochemical breath profiling for early thoracic malignancy screening

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death globally and affects millions of lives across the globe. Early detection of lung cancer significantly improves survival rates. Screening with low-dose CT scans for high-risk individuals can lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes. Breathomics is the systematic analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath to diagnose diseases and monitor health conditions. This research presents a novel electrochemical biosensor that detects eight VOCs in breath using room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) technology. The device was tested with 67 patient samples, including 30 with confirmed intrathoracic malignancies. Using lightweight deep neural networks optimized for edge devices, the system effectively distinguished between positive and negative cases. The results were validated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. As lung cancer significantly impacts public health, this work represents an important step toward developing affordable, quick, and non-invasive breath analysis for cancer screening. While further clinical validation is needed, this research aims to advance the field of breathomics.

Source: Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.sbsr.2025.100815