Device can 'smell' prostate cancer

Researchers have developed Odoreader, a device that uses a gas chromatography (GC)-sensor system combined with advanced statistical methods to ‘smell’ prostate cancer

Odoreader, which was developed by the research team led by Chris Probert from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Translational Medicine and Norman Ratcliffe at UWE Bristol.

Odoreader has a 30 metre column that enables the compounds in urine to travel through at different rates thus breaking the samples into a readable format. This is then translated into an algorithm enabling detection of cancer by reading the patterns presented.

The positioning of the prostate gland which is very close to the bladder gives the urine profile a different algorithm if the man has cancer.

Working in collaboration with the Bristol Urological Institute team at Southmead Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary, the research team ran a pilot study included 155 men presenting to urology clinics.

Of this group, 58 were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 24 with bladder cancer and 73 with haematuria or poor stream without cancer.

The results of the pilot study using the Odereader’s GC sensor system indicated that it was able to successfully identify different patterns of volatile compounds that allow classification of urine samples from patients with urological cancers.

Probert, said: “There is an urgent need to identify these cancers at an earlier stage when they are more treatable as the earlier a person is diagnosed the better. After further sample testing the next step is to take this technology and put it into a user friendly format.

“With help from industry partners we will be able to further develop the Odoreader, which will enable it to be used where it is needed most; at a patient’s bedside, in a doctor’s surgery, in a clinic or Walk In Centre, providing fast, inexpensive, accurate results.”

Ratcliffe said: “There is currently no accurate test for prostate cancer, the vagaries of the PSA test indicators can sometimes result in unnecessary biopsies, resulting in psychological toll, risk of infection from the procedure and even sometimes missing cancer cases.

“Our aim is to create a test that avoids this procedure at initial diagnosis by detecting cancer in a non-invasive way by smelling the disease in men’s urine.”

‘The use of a gas chromatography (GC)-sensor system combined with advanced statistical methods towards the diagnosis of urological malignancies’, was published in the Journal of Breath Research.