Odor of Skin Cancer Discovered!

Soon doctors will be able to detect skin cancer through smell emitted by the patient’s body! A team of American scientists have identified an odor that is found in skin cancer tissue samples. This new finding may help scientists in further research, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Skin Cancer Cells

The research team was led by Michelle Gallagher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. They used nanotechnology to sniff the air and instantly detect a pattern of chemical odor. The tests were done on a total of 22 participants, 11 with and 11 without basal cell carcinomas. The scientists found that the patients with cancer had significantly different concentrations of certain chemicals.

The scientists are very optimistic about the future of this development and believes that one day they will be able to detect skin cancer just by waving a special scanning device over the skin of a patient. They are now trying to develop a handy device that can be used anywhere. The team of scientists also have plans to identify a reliable “odor profile” of all three forms of skin cancer, including squamous cell cancer and melanoma, which is the deadliest form.