One breath can save your life. A basic research project was born and carried out in Sardinia which could prove revolutionary in the fight against lung cancer. Because if the initial thesis were to be confirmed by the results of the experiment, the possible existence of the pathology could be detected early through the analysis of the presence of precise markers in the exhaled breath. Discovering cancer in time can be salvation: 80 percent of diagnoses arrive when the tumor is in an advanced state, therefore inoperable. And death, often in the short term, is an almost inevitable consequence.
Funded by the Region, the project is called Arrdia and was born from the complex operational unit of Thoracic Surgery of the Oncology hospital of Cagliari, directed by the head doctor Roberto Cherchi, who is also the scientific director of the initiative.
The starting context was that of those exposed (or previously) to asbestos: its fibres, depositing themselves in the lungs, can begin a deadly work that has its lethal effects even after decades. Workers who have dealt with eternit are already participating in the experimentation. There are also oncological subjects.
To carry out the research, the project needs "healthy" volunteers: 200 are needed from all the territories of Sardinia. «We guarantee maximum privacy, through an anonymous communication system», assures Cherchi, which is aimed at over 50s, who have never smoked or have stopped for over a year. Those who participate are asked to fill out a questionnaire, necessary to establish their health conditions and study the starting context to evaluate any exposures. Then a blood sample will be taken "to carry out tests that could allow us to detect early alterations in the genetic material" . And finally the crucial part: you will be asked to "breathe, connected to a machine (the TurboDeccs patented by Carlo Valesi) for about 20 minutes".
The analysis is used to «collect condensed water vapor and evaluate whether the same markers that are also looked for in the serum are present». The volunteers will be followed for three years and monitoring of their health conditions is guaranteed. To apply, simply go to the Arrdia project website.
The final goal is to demonstrate that cancer can also be intercepted through breath. A hypothesis «formulated in Sardinia, which could be the first in the world in this field, which has aroused interest in the international scientific community», explains Cherchi, «we have already been contacted by India and they are starting with the first analyzes there». Now the results of the first Sardinian study phase are about to be published. If positive, there will be more hope against lung cancer.
