Non-invasive diagnostic of head and neck cancer: Feasibility of a portable electronic nose

This thesis investigated the feasibility of electronic nose technology for the diagnostic of primarily head and neck cancer and secondary lung cancer and recurrent head and neck cancer. E-noses were engineered to mimic the mammalian olfactory system within an instrument designed to obtain repeatable measurements, allowing the identification and classification of volatile organic compound patterns. The instrument combines a signal transduction mechanism with a pattern recognition algorithm to create a model. The model is used to classify a sample as sick or healthy. This thesis has demonstrated the potential of an e-nose as a non-invasive tool for cancer diagnostics, achieving an accuracy of 72% for head and neck cancer and 83% for lung cancer. However, further research is necessary in order for these models to be incorporated into our healthcare system as a diagnostic instrument.