10 Medical Advances that Are Giving Us Hope in 2017 and Beyond

The new tests that detect deadly lung cancer early

Early diagnosis is one of the best ways to beat cancer and there is good news on this front. Two new tests for lung cancer can detect this killer in time for treatment to be effective, thus giving patients a better chance for a cure. In the first test, developed by Vadim Backman, professor of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University, Illinois USA, cell samples taken from inside an individual’s cheek are viewed through a specialized microscope. The microscope detects particular cellular changes, indicating whether lung cancer may be developing. The second is a simple breath test! Exhaled breath contains thousands of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that vary in composition and pattern. A subset of four VOCs have been discovered in the exhaled breath of lung cancer patients. Cambridge, England-based Owlstone Medical developed a microchip sensor technology to measure VOCs in exhaled breath. This type of technology already exists. Co-founder and president of Owlstone Medical, Billy Boyle, says their smaller and less expensive device may become an in-office tool for doctors. “We hope that breath analysis will allow us to diagnose patients with primary or recurrent lung cancer long before they suffer from symptoms, when we have more options for treating them, giving them the best chance for cure,” says cardiothoracic surgeon, Erin M. Schumer, MD, MPH, whose research on this technique was published in early 2016 in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. (These are lung cancer symptoms you should never ignore.)