Detecting recurrent head and neck cancer using electronic nose technology: A feasibility study

Background The aim of this feasibility study was to assess the diagnostic performance of an electronic nose (e-nose) as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in detecting locoregional recurrent and/or second (or third) primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after curative treatment. Methods Using an e-nose (Aeonose, The eNose Company, Zutphen, The Netherlands), breath samples were collected from patients after curative treatment of an HNSCC with a locoregional recurrence or second (or third) primary tumor (N = 20) and from patients without evidence of recurrent disease (N = 20). Analyses were performed utilizing artificial neural networking based on patterns of volatile organic compounds. Results A diagnostic accuracy of 83% was observed in differentiating follow-up patients with locoregional recurrent or second (or third) primary HNSCC from those without evidence of disease. Conclusion This study has demonstrated the feasibility of using an e-nose to detect locoregional recurrent and/or second (or third) primary HNSCC.