Wolfram Miekisch

TL;DR: In this paper, the basic principles of breath analysis and the diagnostic potential of different volatile breath markers are discussed, along with analytical procedures, issues concerning biochemistry and exhalation mechanisms of volatile substances, and future developments.

TL;DR: In future studies, combined investigations of a particular compound with regard to human matrices such as breath, urine, saliva and cell culture investigations will lead to novel scientific progress in the field.

TL;DR: Exhaled breath analysis is promising to become a future non-invasive lung cancer screening method, but precise identification of compounds observed in exhaled breath of lung cancer patients is necessary and GCMS-SPME is a relatively insensitive method.

TL;DR: Sensitivity and specificity of this method were comparable to the diagnostic certitude of conventional serum markers and CT imaging and noninvasive recognition of lung malignancies may be realized if analytical skills, biochemical knowledge and medical expertise are combined into a joint effort.

TL;DR: Data appear to favor the hypothesis that short-term effects visible in breath isoprene levels are mainly caused by changes in pulmonary gas exchange patterns rather than fluctuations in endogenous synthesis, and hold great potential in capturing continuous dynamics of non-polar, low-soluble VOCs over a wide measurement range.