Volatile organic compounds for detecting cell dysplasia and genetic alterations associated with lung cancer

摘要

The present invention provides methods of identifying a genetic abnormality such as mutation in EGFR or KRAS or ALK which is associated with the management of lung cancer or diagnosing, prognosing or monitoring the treatment of pre-cancerous conditions of the lung, such as bronchial dysplasia or atypical alveolar hyperplasia (AAH), through the detection of at least one volatile organic compound indicative of these states.

主权项

1. A method of differentiating between a test subject having lung cancer associated with a mutation in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and subjects having lung cancer associated with a genetic alteration selected from a mutation in KRAS, an ALK-ELM4 translocation and CMET amplification, the method comprising the steps of:
a) obtaining a breath sample from the test subject; b) determining a level of at least one volatile organic compound associated with lung cancer in the breath sample; and c) comparing the level of the at least one volatile organic compound from the breath sample with the level of said at least one volatile organic compound in a negative control sample of cells not having a mutation in EGFR, whereby a significantly different level of said at least one volatile organic compound in the breath sample as compared to the level of said compound in the negative control sample is indicative of the presence of mutation in EGFR.