A new cancer detecting gum is being developed by a company called Volatile Analysis in Alabama. When a person chews the gum, volatile organic compounds are absorbed in their saliva. Those compounds are then analyzed.
Katherine Bazemore, president and CEO of Volatile Analysis explained that there are chemicals produced in the body called volatile organic compounds, and they are unique to each type of cancer. By determining which of those compounds are
found in the gum, doctors can tell which type of cancer is present in the patient.
The reason for using chewing gum, Bazemore said, is because it remains in your mouth over an extended period of time and is durable enough to withstand testing.
With use of the gum, patients would no longer need to go through blood tests or urine analysis.
Early detection is paramount to survival and breath samples, urine tests
and cancer detecting dogs don’t work effectively. However gum is durable and can hold up to testing.
According to the National cancer institute there were an estimated 1.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2016.
“Over the last 15 years there have been a lot of attempts with different products and processes for early detection of cancer,” Dr. Leonard Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American cancer Society, said.
The gum is still in the testing stage so it may be too early to determine how well it will work. But the company is hoping to make the gum available to doctors and patients sometime next year.
According to the statistics, Denmark, France and Australia are the top
three nations with highest cancer rates. Guinea Bissau, Nepal and Mauritania are the bottom three nations.
Even though, the news is a surprising and pleasant one for everyone, the cost of the product and its efficiency is a question. Whether it is affordable to the low profile people too or it is meant only for the elite classes.
Also, the producers are claiming that their product is really effective in detecting cancer. But, we can’t say it is effective until we use it.
The product is still in the developmental stage, but the company hopes to offer it to doctors and patients next year.
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