VOC analysis in headspace air of mesothelioma and lung cancer cell lines: A comparative literature study

Abstract

Objectives: Early detection of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and lung cancer is important for disease management. Research has focused on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath to serve as early screening tools. Although several VOCs have been identified, it is not yet clear which VOCs arise from the neoplastic cells themselves or from the host response. Our goal was to perform a literature search in order to compare different methods for headspace analysis of mesothelioma and lung cancer cell lines and to identify tumor-specific VOCs which could serve as biomarkers. Methods: PubMed and Web of Science were searched using “headspace analysis”, “lung cancer”, “cell line” and “mesothelioma”. After removal of duplicates, 9 articles remained. Results: Conclusion: This study shows that headspace analysis of cancer cell lines is promising for the detection of early disease biomarkers. In the headspace of cancerous cell lines, the concentration of aldehydes, ketones and alkanes is significantly different compared to non-cancerous cells or medium. The most used method is GC-MS. Although multiple VOCs are released by lung cancer or mesothelioma cell lines, no single VOC can presently be used as stand-alone biomarker. Because of the small number of studies and large interstudy differences, further translational research is warranted in order to determine tumor-specific VOCs and to optimize sampling techniques.