A new device that “smells out” success of immunotherapy for lung cancer patients has been developed by scientists.

The device, which is non-invasive and easily portable, uses a person’s breath to determine if a particular immunotherapy treatment is working for them. This breakthrough could help doctors identify which patients are responding well to treatment, helping to tailor their care and ultimately improve outcomes.

Immunotherapy for lung cancer

Lung cancer is a major killer in the United States, with an estimated 160,000 deaths annually. Treatment options for the disease have traditionally included surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

However, in recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising new treatment option.

Immunotherapy works by harnessing the power of a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Essentially, it helps to remove the brakes that can prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells.

This approach has been shown to be effective in a number of different cancers, including lung cancer.

Despite its promise, immunotherapy doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, for some patients, it can have little to no effect. Researchers have been trying to identify ways to predict which individuals might respond best to the treatment.

The device

To tackle this problem, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland and the University Hospital Basel have developed a new device that can “smell out” the success of immunotherapy.

The device, called the BreathSpec, analyzes the breath of lung cancer patients using a combination of infrared lasers and special sensors.

These sensors can detect specific molecules in a person’s breath that are indicative of how well their immune system is responding to treatment.

The BreathSpec is non-invasive and portable, meaning it can be used in a variety of settings. This makes it a valuable tool for doctors who need to monitor their patients’ response to treatment over time.

The device is also relatively cheap, which could make it accessible to a wider range of healthcare providers and their patients.

The study

Researchers tested the BreathSpec on a small group of lung cancer patients who were receiving immunotherapy treatment. They found that the device was able to accurately predict which patients were responding well to the treatment, and which were not.

The patients who were responding well to the treatment had lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their breath. These VOCs are produced by cancer cells as they break down glucose for energy.

When a patient’s immune system is working to fight the cancer cells, there are fewer VOCs present in their breath.

The researchers also found that the BreathSpec was able to detect changes in a patient’s immune response over time.

This could help doctors to identify if a patient is becoming resistant to treatment, allowing them to switch to a different drug before the cancer progresses.

The future

The development of the BreathSpec represents a major step forward in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

By providing a non-invasive, portable, and relatively cheap way to monitor the success of immunotherapy, the device could help to improve outcomes for lung cancer patients.

The researchers behind the BreathSpec are now planning to conduct further studies to confirm their findings and refine the device.

They hope to eventually make it available to all healthcare providers who treat lung cancer patients, regardless of their location or resources.

Conclusion

The BreathSpec is an exciting new development in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

By using a patient’s breath to determine if immunotherapy is working, the device could help doctors to tailor their care, improving outcomes for lung cancer patients. The promise of this new technology is truly encouraging, and we look forward to seeing its continued development and success.