Journal Article

Non-invasive multiple cancer screening using trained detection canines and artificial intelligence: a prospective double-blind study

Avdalimov, Milana, Ovcharenko, Adelina, Arber, Nadir, Furman-Assaf, Sharon, Rabinowicz, Assaf, Half, Elizabeth, Shmuel, Ronit

2024

Overview

The specificity and sensitivity of a simple non-invasive multi-cancer screening method in detecting breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer in breath samples were evaluated in a double-blind study. Breath samples of 1386 participants (59.7% males, median age 56.0 years) who underwent screening for cancer using gold-standard screening methods, or a biopsy for a suspected malignancy were collected. The samples were analyzed using a bio-hybrid platform comprising trained detection canines and artificial intelligence tools. According to cancer screening/biopsy results, 1048 (75.6%) were negative for cancer and 338 (24.4%) were positive. Among the 338 positive samples, 261 (77.2%) were positive for one of the four cancer types that the bio-hybrid platform was trained to detect, with an overall sensitivity and specificity of 93.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90.3-96.2%) and 94.3% (95% CI 92.7%-95.5%), respectively. The sensitivity of each cancer type was similar; breast: 95.0% (95% CI 87.8-98.0%), lung: 95.0% (95% CI 87.8-98.0%), colorectal: 90.0% (95% CI 74.4-96.5%), prostate: 93.0% (95% CI 84.6-97.0%). The sensitivity of 14 other malignant tumors that the bio-hybrid platform was not trained to detect, but identified, was 81.8% (95% CI 71.8%-88.8%). Early cancer (0–2) detection sensitivity was 94.8% (95% CI 91.0%-97.1%). This bio-hybrid multi-cancer screening platform demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity and enables early-stage cancer detection.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 631/67 / 631/67/1347 / 631/67/1504 / 631/67/1504/1885 / 631/67/1612 / 631/67/2322 / 631/67/589/466 / Adult / Aged / Animals / Artificial Intelligence / Biopsy / Breast / Breast cancer / Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis / Cancer / Cancer screening / Colorectal / Colorectal cancer / Colorectal carcinoma / Colorectal Neoplasms - diagnosis / Detection canines / Dogs / Double-Blind Method / Double-blind studies / Early Detection of Cancer - methods / Female / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Invasiveness / Lung / Lung cancer / Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis / Male / Malignancy / Medical screening / Middle Aged / multidisciplinary / Neoplasms - diagnosis / Prospective Studies / Prostate / Prostate cancer / Prostatic Neoplasms - diagnosis / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Sensitivity and Specificity