A research team led by Prof. CHU Yannan at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has uncovered a new way to detect cancer early—by analysing the invisible chemical "scents" that the body gives off.

Their study, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, shows that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could serve as reliable markers for multi-cancer, or pan-cancer, screening.

Early diagnosis is critical for improving survival rates, but most screening methods today focus on single types of cancer and often require invasive procedures.

By contrast, pan-cancer screening aims to detect tumours in multiple organs at once, opening a path toward simpler and more effective early detection.

In this study, the team established a pan-cancer mouse model by chemically inducing tumours in organs such as the lungs, stomach, liver, and oesophagus.

Over a 21-week tumour development period, the researchers collected urine, faeces, and odour samples from both tumour-bearing and healthy mice at six time points.

Using headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS), they conducted non-targeted detection and analysis of VOCs.

The results revealed three sets of tumour-associated VOCs that not only reflected metabolic changes during cancer progression but also distinguished tumour-bearing mice from healthy controls.

Importantly, early tumour signals were detectable in urine at week 5, in odour at week 13, and in faeces at week 17, well before advanced tumour development.

This study provides a valuable experimental foundation for exploring VOC biomarkers in pan-cancer research, according to the team.

Article: Gas Biopsy for Pan-Cancer Mice Early Screening by Untargeted Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Metabolic VOCs

Source: Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences