Current Challenges in Volatile Organic Compounds Analysis as Potential Biomarkers of Cancer

Table 3

Main characteristics of analytical techniques used in the studies of VOCs as potential cancer biomarkers. GC-MS: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; IMS: ion mobility spectrometry; MCC: multicapillary column; PTR-MS: proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry; SIFT-MS: selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry.

Analytical technique	Sensitivity	Quantification	Mode	Compound identification
GC-MS	Sub-ppb-low ppt^1 [96, 117]	Semiquantitative	Offline	Reliable
PTR-MS	Low ppb-low ppt [134, 135]	Absolute	Real-time	Tentative
SIFT-MS	Sub-ppb-low ppb [136]	Absolute	Real-time	Reliable
MCC-IMS	ppb-ppt [140]	Absolute	Real-time	Tentative
e-noses	Low ppb [150]	Semiquantitative	Real-time	—

With preconcentration.