[Determination of volatile organic compounds in lung cancer cell lines and lung cancer tissue].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in lung cancer tissue and lung cancer cell lines. METHODS: The lung cancer tissue samples from 18 patients were cultured and 4 lung cell lines (A549, NCI-H446, SK-MES-1, BEAS-2B) were also included in the study. Air samples in the headspace of culture flasks were analyzed for VOCs with solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy technique (SPME-GC/MS). RESULT: Two kinds of VOCs 2-pentadecanone and nonadecane were detected in lung cancer cell lines A549, NCI-H446 and SK-MES-1. The concentration of 2-pentadecanone were (1.382 + or -0.171) X 10(-5)mg/L, (1.681 + or - 0.190) X 10(-4)mg/L and (2.835 + or - 0.401) X 10(-6)mg/L, respectively; the concentrations of nonadecane were (8.382 + or - 0.606 ) X 10(-6)mg/L, (1.845 + or - 0.130) X 10(-5)mg/L and (6.220 + or - 0.362) X 10(-6)mg/L), respectively. The eicosane was detected in A549 and NCI-H446 with the concentration of (8.313 + or - 1.130) X 10(-6)mg/L and (1.020 + or - 0.141) X 10(-5)mg/L), respectively. All the 3 VOCs were not detected in cell line BEAS-2B. The concentrations of 12 VOCs including decane, 2- pentadecanone, nonadecane and eicosane were high in 18 lung cancer tissue samples; the concentrations of 2-pentadecanone were 5.421 X 10(-6)mg/L-3.621 X 10(-5)mg/L,those of nonadecane were 5.805 X 10(-6)mg/L-1.830 X 10(-5)mg/L, those of eicosane were 2.730 X 10(-6)mg/L-2.343 X 10(-5)mg/L. There were no differences of VOCs levels among patients with different cancer differentiation (P>0.05). The concentration of eicosane in the non-squamous carcinoma was higher than that in squamous carcinoma, the same results were confirmed in the lung cancer cell lines. CONCLUSION: This study has identified VOCs produced by lung cancer tissue, which may support to use breath test as a complementary noninvasive diagnostic method for lung cancer.

[Measurement of exhaled volatile organic compounds in lung cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: to study the characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath of lung cancer patients, and therefore to explore its use in the diagnosis of the disease. METHODS: from February 2007 to September 2009, 55 patients with lung cancer, 21 patients with benign lung diseases and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in our study. The VOCs in exhaled breath were detected by the SPME (solid phase microextraction)-GC (gas chromatography) system. RESULTS: heptanal was detected in 45 patients of the lung cancer group, 1 of the benign lung disease group, and 1 of the healthy control group. The positive rate was higher in the lung cancer group as compared to the benign lung disease group and the healthy group combined (P < 0.05). The detection of heptanal was not related to age, smoking, histological type and staging (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: heptanal maybe a useful marker in VOCs from patients with lung cancer.