Diagnostic performance of volatile organic compounds analysis and electronic noses for detecting colorectal cancer: a...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) offer a promising avenue for noninvasive early detection and surveillance of colorectal cancer (CRC).
• The diagnostic accuracy of current VOC analysis techniques and electronic noses (e-noses) for CRC requires systematic evaluation within clinical practice.

Approach:

• A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, searching major databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library) up to September 1, 2023.
• Included studies focused on human subjects, employing meta-analysis with a bivariate model to determine pooled sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios.
• Quality assessment was performed using the QUADAS-2 tool, adhering to PRISMA guidelines and PROSPERO registration (CRD42023398465).

Key Points:

• The review analyzed 32 studies (4688 subjects), with 22 for VOC analysis and 9 for e-nose.
• Pooled sensitivity and specificity for VOC analysis were 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83-0.92) and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78-0.90), respectively.
• For e-nose, pooled sensitivity was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83-0.90) and specificity was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.62-0.88).
• Areas under the ROC curve were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.90-0.95) for VOC analysis and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.87-0.92) for e-nose.

Conclusions:

• VOC analysis and e-nose technology demonstrate significant accuracy in CRC detection.
• VOC analysis exhibits higher specificity than e-nose, with comparable sensitivity.
• Limitations including small sample sizes, lack of standardized methods, and potential bias necessitate large-scale, multi-center validation studies.