Yockell-Lelièvre Hélène, Philip Romy, Kaushik Palash, Masilamani Ashok Prabhu, Meterissian Sarkis H
Noze, 4920 Pl. Olivia, Saint-Laurent, QC H4R 2Z8, Canada.
Department of Surgery and Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2025 Apr 12;12(4):411. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering12040411.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, underscoring the critical need for effective early detection methods to reduce mortality. Traditional detection techniques, such as mammography, present significant limitations, particularly in women with dense breast tissue, highlighting the need for alternative screening approaches. Breathomics, based on the analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) present in exhaled breath, offers a non-invasive, potentially transformative diagnostic tool. These VOCs are metabolic byproducts from various organs of the human body whose presence and varying concentrations in breath are reflective of different health conditions. This review explores the potential of breathomics, highlighting its promise as a rapid, cost-effective screening approach for breast cancer, facilitated through the integration of portable solutions like electronic noses (e-noses). Key considerations for clinical translation-including patient selection, environmental confounders, and different breath collection methods-will be examined in terms of how each of them affects the breath profile. However, there are also challenges such as patient variability in VOC signatures, and the need for standardization in breath sampling protocols. Future research should prioritize standardizing sampling and analytical procedures and validating their clinical utility through large-scale clinical trials.
乳腺癌是全球最常被诊断出的癌症，这凸显了对有效早期检测方法以降低死亡率的迫切需求。传统检测技术，如乳腺钼靶摄影，存在显著局限性，尤其是在乳腺组织致密的女性中，这突出了对替代筛查方法的需求。呼吸组学基于对呼出气体中挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）的分析，提供了一种非侵入性的、可能具有变革性的诊断工具。这些VOCs是人体各个器官的代谢副产物，其在呼出气体中的存在和不同浓度反映了不同的健康状况。本综述探讨了呼吸组学的潜力，强调其作为一种快速、经济高效的乳腺癌筛查方法的前景，通过集成电子鼻等便携式解决方案得以实现。将从临床转化的关键考虑因素（包括患者选择、环境混杂因素和不同的呼气收集方法）如何影响呼吸特征方面进行研究。然而，也存在一些挑战，如VOC特征在患者中的变异性，以及呼气采样方案标准化的必要性。未来的研究应优先标准化采样和分析程序，并通过大规模临床试验验证其临床效用。
