The Role of a Polymer-Based E-Nose in the Detection of Head and Neck Cancer from Exhaled Breath.

The aim of our study was to assess whether a polymer-based e-nose can distinguish head and neck cancer subjects from healthy controls, as well as from patients with allergic rhinitis. A total number of 45 subjects participated in this study. The first group was composed of 15 patients with histology confirmed diagnosis of head and neck cancer. The second group was made up of 15 patients with diagnoses of allergic rhinitis. The control group consisted of 15 subjects with a negative history of upper airways and/or chest symptoms. Exhaled breath was collected from all participants and sampled by a polymer-based e-nose (Cyranose 320, Sensigent, Pasadena, CA, USA). In the Principal Component Analysis plot, patients with head and neck cancer clustered distinctly from the controls as well as from patients with allergic rhinitis. Using canonical discriminant analysis, the three groups were discriminated, with a cross validated accuracy% of 75.1, p < 0.01. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve for the discrimination between head and neck cancer patients and the other groups was 0.87. To conclude, e-nose technology has the potential for application in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer, being an easy, quick, non-invasive and cost-effective tool.