A new test trial, which will be tested on more than 6,000 patients, has been called “the most significant step” towards a breakthrough in 50 years.
A breath test for pancreatic cancer – a world first – will be trialled nationally on more than 6,000 patients with an unknown diagnosis. The charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, which is investing more than £1.1 million to fund the new trial, has called it “the most significant step toward a lifesaving breakthrough in 50 years”.
This follows a two-year clinical study, in which scientists analysed more than 700 breath samples from people with and without pancreatic cancer, as well as from those with other conditions affecting the pancreas.
George Hanna, head of the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College London and who is leading the project, believes the initial findings are “a very promising step forward for patients affected by pancreatic cancer” and is confident the test can already detect pancreatic cancer with a high degree of accuracy – even when the disease is at an early stage.
Patients will be recruited from the NHS Urgent Suspected Cancer Pathway – under which patients should receive an appointment within two weeks of a GP referral. Around 40 trial sites are being set up at hospitals across England, Scotland and Wales, and hospital teams interested in participating are encouraged to contact the trial manager.
Huge potential
No screening or early detection tests for pancreatic cancer, which affects around 10,800 people in the UK a year, currently exist.
The test detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the breath. Thousands of these compounds travel around the bloodstream, are filtered out when the blood reaches the lungs, and are then breathed out. Patients with cancer produce different types of compounds, and these changes are detectable in the breath even at the early stages of disease. Isolating unique combinations of VOCs should enable doctors to quickly identify people likely to have pancreatic cancer and then triage them for urgent investigation.
GPs who suspect pancreatic cancer can request imaging tests or refer patients to the hospital for further investigations. However, the disease’s vague symptoms are common to many much less serious conditions, meaning health professionals currently face a challenge in deciding who should be referred for further investigation and who can be monitored or reassured.
The breath test, which is designed to be accurate, non-invasive, and usable in a GP surgery or pharmacy, could have a significant impact while remaining cost-effective for the NHS by streamlining referral pathways. Breath samples can be taken in as little as 30 seconds, and scientists believe it could be possible to provide GPs with the test results within just three days. This would enable patients most at risk to be referred quickly for scans to diagnose or rule out pancreatic cancer.
“If our findings from the initial phase of the breath test study can be validated in a population of patients with an unknown diagnosis, it has huge potential to influence clinical practice and pancreatic cancer referral pathways,” said Hanna.
