The e-Nose measures the exhaled air of a patient, it is comparable to a breath test. Someone breathes for five minutes in a gray box, the e-Nose. This box is connected to a computer and it measures the exhaled particles, so-called ‘volatile organic compounds’.
The idea is that changes in the body lead to a different mix of those connections. In this way, doctors could measure inflammation, but also abnormal activities in the cells in the breath.
Investigation
Researchers from Radboudumc, Bernhoven Hospital in Uden and Nijmegen’s Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital put the test to the test and examined 402 patients with the electronic nose.
Of these patients, 129 people had a precursor to esophageal cancer, a so-called ‘Barrett esophagus’, and 141 people suffered from reflux, with gastric acid flowing into the esophagus. 132 of the investigated had no complaints and participated as a control group.
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The three different groups each had a different result and according to the researchers that is positive: the electronic nose does its job.
In 91 of the 100 people in the first group, the e-Nose detected a Barrett esophagus. These figures can be compared with the results of breast cancer and colon cancer studies.
Annoying and expensive
The predecessor of esophageal cancer is still being examined with an endoscopy. Hereby the esophagus is viewed with the help of a camera in a tube.
The abnormal cells of a Barrett esophagus are easily recognizable: instead of healthy, white cells, the doctor sees pink abnormal cells. In the end, less than 5 percent of people with a Barrett esophagus actually develop esophageal cancer.
The research goes even further, but the researchers indicate that the method becomes interesting for general practitioners because of its user-friendliness and low costs.
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