The use of the PEN3 e-nose in the screening of colorectal cancer and polyps

Colorectal cancer (CRC) still afflicts a large number of patients worldwide and is the third most common cancer diagnosed in Western countries as well as the third most common cause of cancer deaths. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC diagnosis but is unsuitable for mass screening, while fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for occult blood in the feces suffers from low specificity (particularly for polyps) and insufficient patient compliance. Recent studies using a metabolomic approach with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of the exhaled breath of these patients have demonstrated the occurrence of significant changes in the pattern of their volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to healthy controls. Therefore, detection of an altered pattern of VOCs has been proposed as a potential screening tool in CRC [1]. However, the identification and analysis of these molecules by GC/MS is complex and time consuming. Several commercial and/or custom electronic noses (e-nose) that try to reproduce human senses using sensor arrays and systems have been developed and are currently used in several research fields including medicine. The aim of this study was to test the reliability of a commercial e-nose as screening tool for patients with CRC and polyps.