Simply measuring the temperature of breath could help to identify lung cancer, researchers reported yesterday.
A study in Italy found that the temperature of breath increased with the severity of the cancer.
It also increased with the number of years a patient had smoked, researchers told the conference of the European Respiratory Society in Munich, Germany.
The research involved some 82 patients – half of them free of lung cancer.
Researcher Professor Giovanna Elisiana Carpagnano, from the University of Foggia, Italy, said: "Our results suggest that lung cancer causes an increase in the exhaled temperature. This is a significant finding and could change the way we currently diagnose the disease.
"If we are able to refine a test to diagnose lung cancer by measuring breath temperature, we will improve the diagnostic process by providing patients with a stress-free and simple test that is also cheaper and less intensive for clinicians."
* Researchers from Turkey warned the use of tear gas could affect the health of the lungs.
The study was conducted after widespread public protests in Turkey in June 2013.
Some 80% of protesters reported a cough lasting on average two weeks and some 43% reported chest pain, lasting for this same period.
The researchers also found evidence of an impact on the lungs of people living nearby.
Dr Eda Uslu, from the Turkish Thoracic Society, called for a ban on the use of tear gas.
He said: “These results are significant as they contradict the previous assumptions about the effects of tear gas.
"Our findings suggest that people who live and work close to protests are also seeing harmful effects on the lungs from the use of this gas. We have also found that the effect on the protesters lasts longer than we previously thought.
"The use of tear gas should be banned globally to prevent any further damage to health."
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