Revolutionary cancer breathalyser being trialled could save millions of lives

The Breath Biopsy device detects changes in cells’ normal smells.

It has shown early signs of success in revealing lung cancer.

The gizmo may also catch gullet, bladder, stomach, prostate, kidney, liver and pancreatic types.

A Cambridge University trial will see 1,500 people breathe into it for ten minutes.

If successful, GPs could routinely offer it within five years. It is the first test of its kind to look for multiple cancer types.

Study chief Prof Rebecca Fitzgerald said: “We urgently need new tools like this breath test that could help diagnose cancer earlier, giving patients the best chance of surviving.

“Through this trial we hope to find signatures in breath needed to detect cancers earlier. It’s the crucial next step.

“The Breath Biopsy is the first to test across multiple cancer types, potentially paving the way for a universal test.”

Billy Boyle, of maker Owlstone Medical, said: “There’s increasing potential for it to aid diagnosis alongside blood and urine tests.

Providing a whole-body snapshot in a non-invasive way could reduce harm by sparing patients invasive tests they don’t need.”

And Dr David Crosby of ­Cancer Research UK added: “It could revolutionise the way we detect and diagnose cancer.”

There are around 360,000 new UK cancer cases and 160,000 deaths each year. Nearly half of all sufferers are diagnosed late.

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