Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Profile in Colorectal Cancer Patients and Healthy Controls.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are low molecular weight (<1 kDa) compounds which represent the final products of cell metabolism. Their composition can be affected by several factors including diet, hormones, environment and the presence of diseases, in particular, cancer.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the commonest tumours and is an important cause of cancer-related mortality.
The expression of VOCs in breath that are linked to a patient’s disease state could offers a powerful, non-invasive approach to identifying CRC patients.