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. 2021 Dec 9;11(12):2317. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11122317

Table 1.

Volatile organic compounds in digestive neoplasia: articles included.

No Author Pathology VOCs Proposed as Biomarkers
1 Hartwig et al., 2017 [11] Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) Signature of eight VOCs for OSCC
VOCs decreased after cancer surgery:
  • -

    Dimethyl disulfide (DDS)

  • -

    Decamethylcyclopenta-siloxane (D5)

  • -

    P-xylene (PX)

VOCs increased after cancer surgery:
  • -

    Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)

  • -

    Dibutylhydroxytoluene (DBH)

  • -

    N-heptane (NHE)

  • -

    Toluene (TOL)

  • -

    1-heptene (1H)
2 Bouza et al., 2017 [13] Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) VOCs possible biomarkers for OSCC:
  • -

    Undecane

  • -

    Dodecane

  • -

    Decanal

  • -

    Benzaldehyde

  • -

    3,7-dimethyl undecane

  • -

    4,5-dimethyl nonane

  • -

    1-octene

  • -

    Hexadecane

VOCs correlated with tumor size:
  • -

    Benzaldehyde

  • -

    3,7-dimethylundecane

VOCs correlated with the histological degree of differentiation:
  • -

    Benzaldehyde

  • -

    Butyl acetate

VOCs correlated with tumor recurrence:
  • -

    Benzaldehyde
3 Adam et al., 2019 [14] Esophagogastric cancer (OGC) VFAs increased in mixed breath in esophagogastric cancer:
  • -

    Acetic acid

  • -

    Butyric acid

  • -

    Pentanoic acid
4 Markar et al., 2018 [15] Esophagogastric cancer (OGC) Five-VOCs diagnostic predictive model:
increased
  • -

    Butyric acid

  • -

    Hexanoic acid

  • -

    Decanal

decreased
  • -

    Pentanoic acid

  • -

    Butanal
5 Chin et al., 2018 [10] Esophagogastric cancer (OGC) VOCs predominantly expressed:
  • -

    Acetone

  • -

    Phenol

  • -

    Benzaldehyde

  • -

    Butanal
6 Zou et al., 2016 [16] Esophageal cancer (EC) Five ions decreased:
  • -

    m/z 34,

  • -

    m/z 63

Dimethyl sulfide
Thioethanol
  • -

    m/z 95

Phenol
1, 3-cycloheptadiene,
  • -

    m/z 107

Ethylbenzene
P-xylene
O-xylene
M-xylene
benzaldehyde
  • -

    m/z 45

Acetaldehyde
Ethylene oxide
Two ions increased:
  • -

    m/z 136,

  • -

    m/z 27.
7 Kumar et al., 2015 [9] Esophagogastric cancer (OGC)
Esophageal cancer
Gastric adenocarcinoma		 VOCs significantly increased in both cancers:
  • -

    Pentanoic acid

  • -

    Hexanoic acid

  • -

    Phenol

  • -

    Methyl phenol

  • -

    Ethyl phenol

  • -

    Butanal

  • -

    Pentanal

  • -

    Hexanal

  • -

    Heptanal

  • -

    Octanal

  • -

    Nonanal

  • -

    Decanal

Significantly increased in esophageal cancer:
  • -

    Butyric acid

No difference between pathologies:
  • -

    Methanol

  • -

    Acetone

  • -

    Ammonia Isoprene
8 Kumar et al., 2013 [17] Esophagogastric cancer (OGC) Significantly increased in esophageal cancer:
  • -

    Hexanoic acid

  • -

    Phenol

  • -

    Methyl phenol

  • -

    Ethyl phenol
9 Chen et al., 2016 [18] Gastric cancer (GC) > 80% of healthy, but barely existed in EGC:
  • -

    Isoprene

  • -

    Menthol

> 80% of GC breath:
  • -

    Pivalic acid

> 70% of EGC more than those in the AGC:
  • -

    Acetone

  • -

    Tetradecane

> 65% AGC:
  • -

    2-Methylpentane

  • -

    3-methylpentane

  • -

    Hexane

  • -

    2,3-dimethylpentane

  • -

    2-methylhexane

  • -

    2-methylhexane

  • -

    Dodecane
10 Xu et al., 2013 [19] Gastric cancer (GC) VOCs increased in gastric cancer:
  • -

    2-propenenitrile

  • -

    2-butoxy-ethanol

  • -

    Furfural

  • -

    6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one

  • -

    Isoprene
11 Amal et al., 2015 [20] Gastric cancer (GC)
Gastric intestinal metaplasia
Peptic ulcer disease		 VOCs with significant difference between groups:
  • -

    2-propenenitrile

  • -

    Furfural

  • -

    2- butoxy-ethanol

  • -

    Hexadecane

  • -

    4-methyloctane

  • -

    1,2,3-tri-methylbenzene

  • -

    α-methyl-styrene

  • -

    2-butanone
12 De Vietro et al., 2020 [21] Colorectal cancer VOCs increased in colorectal cancer:
  • -

    Benzaldehyde

  • -

    Indole

VOCs decreased in colorectal cancer:
  • -

    Benzene ethyl
13 Peng et al., 2010 [22] Cancers, including colon cancer VOCs increased in colon cancer:
  • -

    1,10-(1-butenylidene)bis benzene

  • -

    1-iodo nonane

  • -

    2-amino-5-isopropyl-8-methyl-1-azulenecarbonitrile

VOCs decreased in colon cancer:
  • -

    1,3-dimethyl benzene

  • -

    1,1-dimethylethyl)thio acetic acid

  • -

    4-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-40-cyano[1,10-biphenyl]-4-yl ester benzoic acid
14 Markar et al.,2018 [23] Pancreatic cancer VOCs increased in pancreatic cancer:
  • -

    Formaldehyde

  • -

    Acetone

  • -

    Acetoin

  • -

    Undecane

  • -

    Isopropyl alcohol

VOCs decreased in pancreatic cancer:
  • -

    Pentane

  • -

    N-hexane

  • -

    1-butanol

  • -

    1-(methylthio)-propane

  • -

    Benzaldehyde

  • -

    Tetradecane

  • -

    Amylene hydrate
15 Princivalle et al., 2018 [24] Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) VOCs increased in PDA:
  • -

    M17 ammonia

  • -

    M43 acetyl group

  • -

    M71

  • -

    M74

  • -

    M89

  • -

    M112

VOCs decreased in PDA:
  • -

    M34 hydrogen sulfide

  • -

    M44 acetaldehyde

  • -

    M62

  • -

    M64 sulfur dioxide
16 Qin et al., 2010 [25] Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Hepatitis
Cirrhosis 		VOCs increased in HHC:
  • -

    3-hydroxy-2-butanone

  • -

    styrene

  • -

    decane

Abbreviations: GC-MS—gas chromatography mass spectrometry; OLGIM—operative link on gastric intestinal metaplasia; OSCC—oral squamous cell carcinoma; OGC—esophagogastric cancer; MIM—multiple ion monitoring; PUD—peptic ulcer disease; VFAs—volatile fatty acids; VOCs—volatile organic compounds; SIFT-MS—selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry; SPME—gas chromatography mass spectrometry coupled with solid phase microextraction.