A breathalyser style test for lung cancer could help reduce delays in diagnosis
A lung cancer breathalyser test, designed to help detect lung cancer from a patient’s breath, could save up to 10,000 lives.
According to Owlstone, the company who developed the Lung Cancer Indicator Detection (LuCID) device, the breathalyser test could save thousands of lives as well as save the NHS £245m.
The breathalyser test, which is about to be trialled in NHS hospitals, works by identifying chemicals in the body which are produced by diseases like lung cancer. The test can help identify lung cancer at a very early stage and would help bring about earlier diagnoses and improve survival rates.
If trials are successful, the test could be available at GP surgeries or pharmacies, where high risk patients would be tested, within the next two years.
Around 41,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year in the UK, and it is one of the most serious and common types of cancer.
Madeleine Pinschof, a clinical negligence solicitor based in Thompsons Solicitors’ Bristol office, said: “Early diagnosis for all cancers, including lung cancer, can dramatically improve the chances of a patient making a full recovery.
“This new method of testing patients for cancer could prove hugely beneficial to improving lung cancer survival rates, especially if the test is rolled out to GPs and pharmacists as it would be so be readily available.
“We have helped many patients who have been misdiagnosed with cancer and understand the serious consequences a delay in diagnosis can have on an individual. Any test which may help reduce the number of unnecessary deaths caused by late diagnosis is welcome.”
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