VAPOR2 Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND ASSESSMENT IN PANCREATIC DUCTAL ADENOCARCINOMA (VAPOR2)
IRAS ID
354372
Contact name
George Hanna
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Pancreatic cancer has extremely poor survival in the UK, with just 7.3% of patients surviving 5 years after diagnosis. This is largely due to a failure of early-detection, with 45% of pancreatic cancer cases presenting as an emergency. Diagnosing pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage remains a challenge as the signs and symptoms of early pancreatic cancer are often non-specific, and late diagnosis is therefore a common feature of pancreatic cancer, with 47% of patients presenting with Stage 4 disease.
The VAPOR2 study aims to improve earlier detection of pancreatic cancer by testing a non-invasive breath test which is being developed for patients living with non-specific symptoms of pancreatic cancer. The breath test detects small molecules called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that we believe are released by pancreatic cancers.
We have previously conducted a study (VAPOR1) which collected breath samples from people with and without pancreatic cancer. When we analysed these samples, we found that there is a difference in the volatile organic compounds breathed out by people who have pancreatic cancer compared to those that do not. We used these ‘markers’ to develop a breath test to diagnose pancreatic cancer. In VAPOR2, we will study our breath test in a much larger group of patients who all have vague symptoms to see how accurately it can pick up the small percentage of people who have pancreatic cancer.
Our test could be offered to patients who are experiencing vague symptoms, which might be caused either by pancreatic cancer or a common illness. This test could help doctors to identify which of those patients may have pancreatic cancer, and ensure they get referred for specialised pancreatic cancer tests. We hope that this will allow earlier diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, increasing treatment choices for patients and improving survival from pancreatic cancer.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
25/SS/0060
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion