Exhaled breath analysis in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer

: Antti A. Mäkitie, Alhadi Almangush, Omar Youssef, Markus Metsälä, Suvi Silén, Iain J. Nixon, Missak Haigentz Jr., Juan P. Rodrigo, Nabil F. Saba, Vincent Vander Poorten, Alfio Ferlito

Publisher: WILEY

: 2019

: Head and Neck

: HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK

: HEAD NECK-J SCI SPEC

: 42

: 787

: 793

: 7

: 1043-3074

: 1097-0347

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.26043

Head and neck cancer (HNC) comprises a heterogeneous group of upper aerodigestive tract malignant neoplasms, the most frequent of which is squamous cell carcinoma. HNC forms the eighth most common cancer type and the incidence is increasing. However, survival has improved only moderately during the past decades. Currently, early diagnosis remains the mainstay for improving treatment outcomes in this patient population. Unfortunately, screening methods to allow early detection of HNC are not yet established. Therefore, many cases are still diagnosed at advanced stage, compromising outcomes. Exhaled breath analysis (EBA) is a diagnostic tool that has been recently introduced for many cancers. Breath analysis is non-invasive, cost-effective, time-saving, and can potentially be applied for cancer screening. Here, we provide a summary of the accumulated evidence on the feasibility of EBA in the diagnosis of HNC.