Diagnosing Mesothelioma With a Breath Test
Diagnosing mesothelioma may one day be as simple as taking a breath test. A team of researchers in the Netherlands have been testing the effectiveness of an electronic nose in detecting mesothelioma, a fast-growing cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is notoriously difficult to diagnose because it often mimics other lung-related diseases. In addition, some of the most effective methods for diagnosing mesothelioma carry a high risk of complications, especially in the elderly – the group most likely to get the disease because of its long latency. Doctors in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Amsterdam Medical Center conducted an experiment to determine whether an electronic nose called the Cyranose 320 could tell the difference between healthy people,…