Detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) by urinary volatile organic compound analysis

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 30;9(9):e108750. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108750. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer related death in Europe and the USA. There is no universally accepted effective non-invasive screening test for CRC. Guaiac based faecal occult blood (gFOB) testing has largely been superseded by Faecal Immunochemical testing (FIT), but sensitivity still remains poor. The uptake of population based FOBt testing in the UK is also low at around 50%. The detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) signature(s) for many cancer subtypes is receiving increasing interest using a variety of gas phase analytical instruments. One such example is FAIMS (Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometer). FAIMS is able to identify Inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD) patients by analysing shifts in VOCs patterns in both urine and faeces. This study extends this concept to determine whether CRC patients can be identified through non-invasive analysis of urine, using FAIMS. 133 patients were recruited; 83 CRC patients and 50 healthy controls. Urine was collected at the time of CRC diagnosis and headspace analysis undertaken using a FAIMS instrument (Owlstone, Lonestar, UK). Data was processed using Fisher Discriminant Analysis (FDA) after feature extraction from the raw data. FAIMS analyses demonstrated that the VOC profiles of CRC patients were tightly clustered and could be distinguished from healthy controls. Sensitivity and specificity for CRC detection with FAIMS were 88% and 60% respectively. This study suggests that VOC signatures emanating from urine can be detected in patients with CRC using ion mobility spectroscopy technology (FAIMS) with potential as a novel screening tool.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / urine*
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Discriminant Analysis
  • Female
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Spectrometry*
  • Middle Aged
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Volatile Organic Compounds / urine*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Volatile Organic Compounds

Grants and funding

The work was supported by Bardhan Research and Education Charity (BRET) charity, Warwickshire Private Hospital charity, Eveson trust - provided funding for materials. BRET was established by Professor Bardhan but he had no input into the funding decision made by the grant awarding committee. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.