Lung Cancer Therapies: A 'Brave New World'

April 7, 2005 — -- The latest treatments for lung cancer are giving doctors and patients renewed hope in the battle against a disease that claims more than 150,000 lives in the United States each year.

"It's a brave new world when it comes to therapeutic agents for lung cancer," said Dr. Corey Langer, medical director of thoracic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

One of the biggest challenges facing lung cancer specialists is that the disease is usually diagnosed only in its late stages -- patients often ignore symptoms, such as a persistent cough, and see their doctor only when symptoms become severe.

But a new device developed by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic may help to change that.

The "Cyranose" is a hand-sized electronic device that, not unlike a Breathalyzer, evaluates a patient's exhaled breath and creates a readout analyzing the compounds that make up that breath.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found that the breath of lung cancer patients had significantly different characteristics than the breath from healthy patients and people with other lung diseases.

The amounts of benzene, acetone and other gases were different in the breath of lung cancer patients.

"The small, portable nature of the electronic nose also makes it easy to use in physician offices and outpatient settings," said Dr. Serpil Erzurum, chairman of the department of pathobiology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.

Researchers hope the Cyranose may someday be part of a regular checkup, especially for patients who smoke. This would greatly increase the likelihood that lung cancer would be detected in its early stages, when more treatment options are available.

In May 2003, the Food and Drug Administration gave approval to Iressa, a drug that showed great promise in treating lung cancer.