Background
The aim of this feasibility study was to assess the diagnostic performance of an electronic nose (e‐nose) as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in detecting locoregional recurrent and/or second (or third) primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after curative treatment.
Methods
Using an e‐nose (Aeonose, The eNose Company, Zutphen, The Netherlands), breath samples were collected from patients after curative treatment of an HNSCC with a locoregional recurrence or second (or third) primary tumor (N = 20) and from patients without evidence of recurrent disease (N = 20). Analyses were performed utilizing artificial neural networking based on patterns of volatile organic compounds.
Results
A diagnostic accuracy of 83% was observed in differentiating follow‐up patients with locoregional recurrent or second (or third) primary HNSCC from those without evidence of disease.
Conclusion
This study has demonstrated the feasibility of using an e‐nose to detect locoregional recurrent and/or second (or third) primary HNSCC.