Análisis del aliento: un método promisorio para el diagnóstico del cáncer y factores desencadenantes

Abstract

Generally, when a person is affected by an illness, an unbalance takes place in its metabolic system that causes a
change in the profile of its excretion products. In the case of a person affected with lung cancer, breast cancer, as well as with
gastric illnesses, hepatic cirrhosis, diabetic crisis and schizophrenia, the presence of specific volatile metabolites of each ones
has been reported, which could be used as markers and then facilitate the early diagnosis of those illnesses, and make possible
suitable treatments to heal the sick persons, or to prevent the development of the illnesses. The use of gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry allows the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the composition of the breath for healthy persons and patients with
different types of cancer, making possible the identification of the volatile marker metabolites. It could be a diagnostic method
for these illnesses, taking into account the advantages to be discriminative, sensitive, fast, sure and non invasive method, which
also makes possible its early detection, even before the symptoms appear. On the other hand, this method could make possible
the screening of risk people like smokers, alcoholic persons, those who are exposed to carcinogenic agents, etc.