PAN-study: Pan-Cancer Early Detection Study

There is a pressing need for techniques that allow detection of cancer at an earlier stage when curative treatment is more likely. Exhaled biomarkers are known to reflect a wide range of metabolic processes, including those related to cancer such as the Warburg effect. Owlstone Medical Ltd (hereafter referred to as Owlstone Medical) has developed Breath Biopsy; a workflow to collect and analyse breath Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in a highly standardised way. The PAN-study is a collaborative effort between Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), University of Cambridge (UoC), Cancer Research United Kingdom (CRUK) and Owlstone Medical to evaluate the potential of Breath Biopsy to detect various types of cancer by profiling breath metabolites.

The PAN-cancer Early Detection study or PAN-study is a prospective cross-sectional observational case-control study evaluating whether Breath Biopsy can differentiate between patients with and without different cancer types by comparing breath biomarkers for a range of cancer types including patients with gastric, oesophageal, and liver cancer.

The research may be extended to include also pancreatic, renal, prostate and bladder cancer patients, however in agreement between Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University of Cambridge, CRUK and Owlstone Medical recruitment in these arms will not start until further notice. When recruitment is planned to start in these arms, Owlstone Medical will ensure to notify the REC. Subjects with a histologically confirmed cancer will be recruited from CUH by local research staff. Breath samples will be collected by means of the ReCIVA breath sampler which requires tidal breathing into a face mask for around 10 minutes. A cancer free control subject matched for age, sex and tumour specific risk factors will be recruited and sampled. Breath samples will be shipped to Owlstone Medical for analysis of breath biomarkers by Gas Chromatography-Time Of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and Gas Chromatography-Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-FAIMS).

This study will be the first step towards evaluating VOCs analysis as a test to improve early detection rates for cancer with future applicability to primary care. Ultimately, such a research program could enable low cost and widespread targeted screening programs for cancer.

In a subset of up to 12 patients with cirrhosis and 12 healthy volunteers, a sub study will be conducted to measure the washout of limonene after ingestion of a standardised quantity of limonene under controlled circumstance for food and drink intake.