Shadow Health Secretary, Stuart Andrew and Shadow Cancer Minister, Caroline Johnson met the Imperial College London scientists working to develop a world-first breath test for pancreatic cancer.
The ultimate aim is the development of a pan-cancer breath test, which will be able to detect several different gastrointestinal cancers Professor George Hanna Head of the Department of Surgery and Cancer
The breathalyser-type device is in a national trial involving over 6,000 patients with an unknown diagnosis. If successful, it could help to save thousands of lives in the UK each year from the deadliest common cancer.
Professor George Hanna, Head of Imperial's Department of Surgery and Cancer and lead researcher, toured the MPs around the Imperial laboratory, which is in part funded by the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, and supported by the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Professor Hanna highlighted the initial two-year clinical VAPOR study where in his team analysed 700 breath samples, calling the findings "a very promising step forward for patients affected by pancreatic cancer". There is hope that the breath test could be ready for GPs to use within the next five years.
Following the two-year study, Pancreatic Cancer UK has invested a further £1,141,128 to progress the breath test to a national clinical trial, typically the final step before seeking regulatory approval, and then adoption by the NHS. The MPs were invited to try the test which is designed to be used in a GP surgery, collecting a one-off breath sample in as little as 30 seconds.
Currently, no such early detection test for pancreatic cancer exists, and there are no screening programmes for the disease. If a patient presents with symptoms, GPs can request scans or refer them for further investigation. However, pancreatic cancer symptoms are vague – such as back pain and indigestion – and common to many, far less serious conditions. This means doctors face a huge challenge identifying which patients who likely have the disease. As a result, 80 per cent of people receive their diagnosis too late for lifesaving treatment. Tragically, over half of people die within three months of diagnosis.
Volatile organic compounds
In the future, simply breathing into a bag at a GP appointment could give many more people the chance to have surgery, the only potentially curative treatment for the disease. Scientists believe it could be possible to share test results with GPs within just three days, helping to streamline referral pathways. This would ensure that people at risk of having pancreatic cancer are urgently referred to the hospital.
The test works by detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the breath. There are thousands of these compounds travelling around the bloodstream, and when they reach the lungs, they are filtered and breathed out. People with cancer produce different compounds, even at early stages of disease, which are detectable in the breath. Isolating unique combinations of VOCs should enable doctors to quickly identify people likely to have pancreatic cancer and triage them for urgent investigation.
During the MPs' visit, Professor George Hanna said: "The ultimate aim is the development of a pan-cancer breath test, which will be able to detect several different gastrointestinal cancers, increasing the likelihood of its adoption by healthcare systems worldwide."
Initial work suggests it is possible to identify unique combinations of breath VOCs for oesophageal, gastric, liver and colorectal cancer, as well as pancreatic cancer. Ongoing studies from the team hope to confirm those findings.
Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, Head of Policy and Influencing at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: "We were delighted the Shadow Cancer Minister and Shadow Health Secretary could join us to meet the team of talented scientists refining the breath test. While other cancers have seen significant advances to survival, survival for pancreatic cancer has barely improved in 50 years. While more years of development are still needed before we can put this exciting new technology into the hands of GPs across the country, it has enormous potential and could help to save thousands of lives every year.
