The hope for early detection of cancer is no longer confined to the images of rays and traditional laboratory analyzes. A recent study has revealed that the body may send an early warning about the disease, through volatile chemical compounds that are naturally secreted, and can be monitored in urine, stool, or even sweat.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Hevi Institute of Physics Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, and wrote about the American news magazine.
The team found that these volatile organic compounds can act as reliable vital signs to detect more than one type of cancer at the same time, which is known as a comprehensive examination of cancer, which is a great progress in the field of early diagnosis.
Early diagnosis is an important factor in increasing the chances of recovery, but most current examination methods focus on specific types of cancer and often require surgical procedures or complex interventions. While a comprehensive examination aims to detect tumors in several members at the same time, which may pave the way for simpler and effective ways for early detection.
The researchers created a experimental model of cancer mice, by stimulating chemical tumors growth in multiple organs such as lungs, stomach, liver, and esophagus.
Over the course of 21 weeks, the team collected samples of urine, stool and sweat in 6 different time stages of infected and healthy mice.
Early signals of the disease
The researchers used an advanced analysis technique that depends on extracting vehicles from the samples and then examining them, which allows the detection of micro chemical compounds in the samples.
The results showed 3 groups of volatile organic compounds associated with tumors, which reflected the metabolic changes that occur in the body during the development of cancer, and were able to distinguish between mice with tumors and those healthy.
More importantly, the early signs of the disease appeared at different times: in the urine at the fifth week, in sweat at the 13th week, and in stool at the 17th week, that is, a long time before the development of tumors into advanced stages that are difficult to treat.
The researchers believe that these results provide an important scientific basis for exploring the capabilities of these compounds in cancer research, specifically in a non -surgical examination of cancer and early diagnosis.
It also represents a basic reference for Gas Biopsy experiences in the early stages of research, a non -surgical method that can open a new door for early detection of cancer by analyzing the chemical smells produced by the body.
Despite encouraging results, scientists indicate that this technique is still in its early stages, as experiments were conducted on mice only, which means that its application to humans will require more research and clinical studies to ensure its effectiveness and accuracy.