Lung cancer 'colour breath test'

Scientists in the US have developed a color test which shows chemical changes in the breath of people with lung cancer. The resulting colors of 36 detection dots detect cancer almost 75 percent of the time. Experts have known for some time that the air a person with lung cancer breathes out is different than that of a normal person. Cancer cells give off special volatile compounds. Dogs, for instance, can smell the difference. This new test is revolutionary because it is the size of a quarter and very inexpensive. The test was able to predict several early cancers that may not have been caught. This is important because lung cancer often goes unnoticed until too severe to fix. I like this article because this is actual biomedical engineering. The scientists took a well known fact and developed a useful device.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6387773.stm