Volatile organic compounds and lung cancer: a tight link useful for diagnosis

The human body generates thousands of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be excreted thought breath, skin, urine or feces, related to endogenous process and influenced by exogenous VOCs (1). Endogenous VOCs (e.g., isopropanol and benzene) are low molecular weight compounds produced by cell metabolism and represent the endpoint of cellular process (i.e., gene expression, mRNA transcription and protein activity).