Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34068419›Full record

ReviewCancers2021

Are Volatile Organic Compounds Accurate Markers in the Assessment of Colorectal Cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases? A Review.

Filippo Vernia, Marco Valvano, Stefano Fabiani, Gianpiero Stefanelli, Salvatore Longo, Angelo Viscido, Giovanni Latella

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Cancers, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Filippo VerniaGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1350-4876
Marco ValvanoGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2201-6279
Stefano FabianiGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6821-103X
Gianpiero StefanelliGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7076-5493
Salvatore LongoGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1888-7290
Angelo ViscidoGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8513-3758
Giovanni LatellaGastroenterology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Piazza S. Tommasi, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6341-5711

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the Western world. Early detection decreases incidence and mortality. Screening programs based on fecal occult blood testing help identify patients requiring endoscopic examination, but accuracy is far from optimal. Among the alternative strategies, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) represent novel potentially useful biomarkers of colorectal cancer. They also represent a promising tool for the screening of both intestinal inflammation and related CRC. The review is focused on the diagnostic potential of VOCs in sporadic CRC and in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which increase the risk of CRC, analyzing future clinical applications. Despite limitations related to inadequate strength of evidence, differing analytical platforms identify different VOCs, and this unconventional approach for diagnosing colorectal cancer is promising. Some VOC profiles, besides identifying inflammation, seem disease-specific in inflammatory bowel diseases. Thus, breath, urine, and fecal VOCs provide a new and promising clinical approach to differential diagnosis, evaluation of the inflammatory status, and possibly the assessment of treatment efficacy in IBD. Conversely, specific VOC patterns correlating inflammatory bowel disease and cancer risk are still lacking, and studies focused on this issue are strongly encouraged. No prospective studies have assessed the risk of CRC development by using VOCs in samples collected before the onset of disease, both in the general population and in patients with IBD.

Indexed as

colorectal cancerCrohn’s diseaseIBDinflammatory bowel diseasesmicrobiomeulcerative colitisVOCsvolatile organic compounds

Identifiers

PMID34068419
PMCPMC8153598

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.