text: A simple breath test that could help detect the early stages of stomach cancer has been developed by scientists. The screening system spots chemical signals in exhaled air that are linked to tumour development. By looking for distinctive ‘breath prints’, researchers were also able to distinguish between patients at high and low risk of developing the disease. Scroll down for video . In and out: Thanks to a breath test, researchers claim there were able to detect the early stages of stomach cancer and also to distinguish between patients at high and low risk of developing the disease (stock image) Israeli researchers say the system is accurate, cheap – and allows patients to be monitored without using invasive procedures. The discovery comes as scientists in the US made a breakthrough that could lead a test to flag up the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer. A protein has been identified which seems to play a crucial role in the rapid growth of tumours. The breath test discovery is hoped to save thousands of lives. About 7,000 people develop stomach cancer in the UK each year and most of these cases are in the advanced stages when they are diagnosed. Research leader Professor Hossam Haick of the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute in Haifa, said: ‘The attraction of this test lies in its non-invasiveness, ease of use, rapid predictiveness, insensitivity to confounding factors, and potentially low cost.’ Breathe: The tscreening system spots chemical signals in exhaled air that are linked to tumour development (stock image) Previous research has found that other methods could be used to identify stomach cancer, but none looked at detecting pre-cancerous changes. In the study published online in the journal Gut, breath samples were taken from 484 people, including 99 already diagnosed with stomach cancer. They were analysed by so-called nanomaterial sensors, which are able to read a chemical signal or pattern linked with stomach cancer based on very small particles in a patient’s breath. The test is so accurate it could detect the difference between early and late stage gastric cancers. The researchers hope the breath test could be used as an alternative to endoscopies, an invasive and expensive procedure to diagnose gastric cancers using a long flexible tube. A large trial involving thousands of patients, including those with stomach cancer or pre-cancerous changes, is currently under way in Europe to test the technology’s suitability as a screening method, they add. Meanwhile, US experts say the discovery of a new biomarker protein may one day lead to a test which differentiates men with aggressive prostate cancer from those with a less threatening form of the disease. The findings, published in the scientific journal Oncogene, raises hope of tests that deliver an accurate diagnosis from the outset. The results could lead to more targeted treatment for those with the worst cancers – and less treatment for men whose tumours are not dangerous. Professor Renny Franceschi, of the University of Michigan, said it paves the way for a ‘warning light’ that signals how dangerous the cancer is. It might also one day lead to a treatment which stops tumours growing. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, with 40,000 diagnosed in Britain every year. Current tests only identify whether a tumour is likely to be present. But they are unreliable, holding a high risk of ‘false positives’ that wrongly identify healthy men as having cancer. Professor Franceschi said that if further research proves positive, eventually it might lead to a test involving a simple biopsy when the patient first complains of symptoms.
target: Tests spot chemical signals in exhaled air linked to tumour development .
  About 7,000 people develop stomach cancer in the UK each year .