Exhaled breath temperature in NSCLC: Could be a new non invasive marker?

The exhaled breath temperature (EBT) has been proven to be the expression of airways inflammation as well as of the increased vascularity. Although both these conditions characterize lung cancer pathogenesis, this is the first study where the exhaled breath temperature has been analysed in patients affected by non-small cell lung cancer. The aim of this study was to verify whether and how the lung cancer being examined influences the exhaled breath temperature for possible future clinical implications. Material and Methods: 82 consecutive subjects with a radiological suspicion of lung cancer were enrolled and underwent standard diagnostic and staging procedures for cancer. EBT was measured in all the subjects at the enrollement with the X-Halo device. Results: 40 patients resulted as affected by lung cancer while 42 as false positive (controls). We found a higher exhaled breath temperature in NSCLC patients compared to healthy subjects. The EBT was correlated with number of packs/years and associated with the stage of lung cancer. We identified a cut-off value for the EBT that is able to screen patients with lung cancer with a high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: Our results suggest that lung cancer causes an increase of the exhaled breath temperature which, whether confirmed and validated, could become a new non-invasive clinical tool in the screening and monitoring of this disease. Key words: exhaled breath temperature, non invasive methods, non small cell lung cancer, airways inflammation, neoangiogenesis.