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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Does skin cancer have a scent?
Researchers from the Monell Center sampled air above basal cell tumors and found a different profile of chemical compounds compared to the skin in healthy people. Human skin has many airborne chemical molecules known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs -- many of them have odors.
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The study shows odors from skin can be used to identify basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, and may lead to the development of new ways to find skin cancers at very early stages.
To find the changes related to cancer, the researchers first had to identify the standard profile for VOCs and determine whether it varies depending on age, gender or body site.
Research published last month focused on air sampled above two skin sites the forearm and the upper back in 25 healthy men and women aged 19 to 79.
Researchers used gas chromatography -- mass spectrometry techniques -- to identify nearly 100 different chemical compounds coming from skin. The standard skin profile varied between the two body sites, with differences in both the types and concentrations of VOCs.
While aging was not a factor in the types of VOCs, there were more of certain chemicals in older versus younger people.
The findings of the two studies combined may help lead to new ways to analyze skin for signs of problems. Also, a better understanding of the chemicals related to skin odor could lead to the development of more effective anti-aging skin care products.
SOURCE: 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 17-21, 2008
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