[Measurement of exhaled volatile organic compounds in lung cancer patients].
OBJECTIVE
to study the characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath of lung cancer patients, and therefore to explore its use in the diagnosis of the disease.


METHODS
from February 2007 to September 2009, 55 patients with lung cancer, 21 patients with benign lung diseases and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in our study. The VOCs in exhaled breath were detected by the SPME (solid phase microextraction)-GC (gas chromatography) system.


RESULTS
heptanal was detected in 45 patients of the lung cancer group, 1 of the benign lung disease group, and 1 of the healthy control group. The positive rate was higher in the lung cancer group as compared to the benign lung disease group and the healthy group combined (P < 0.05). The detection of heptanal was not related to age, smoking, histological type and staging (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
heptanal maybe a useful marker in VOCs from patients with lung cancer.
Lu
Chong-Rong
CR
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China.
Hu
Yan-Jie
YJ
Chen
En-Guo
EG
Qiu
Yuan-Hua
YH
Ying
Ke-Jing
KJ
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D001944:Breath Tests; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D045853:Exhalation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012907:Smoking; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds