A new clinical trial by the Imperial College London has validated the use of their breath test as a first-line diagnostic to identify oesophageal and gastric cancer.

The test has been designed to detect chemical compounds called volatile organic compounds (VOC), which produce a distinctive smell and can be detected in the patient’s exhaled breath.

According to the researchers the non-invasive test can detect cancer from benign diseases with 85% accuracy. They hope that their test can aid clinicians in deciding if a patient needs further investigations.

The researchers expect that as a first-line diagnostic, the test will help some patients to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.

The team is working on further improving the test and planning a larger trial to confirm the findings in GP surgeries, where the test is intended to be used. The team also wants to evaluate the test for other cancers.