The concept of breath testing for various diseases has been around since ancient greece. It has been hypothesized that cancer is generating a unique pattern of compounds in patients' breath. This study is trying to characterize a novel system, based on nanoparticles technology, for cancer diagnosis through breath samples.

Cancer is accompanied by increased oxidative stress and induction of polymorphic cytochrome P- 450 mixed oxidase enzymes (CYP). Both processes affect the abundance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath because oxidative stress causes lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in membranes, producing alkanes and methylalkanes which are catabolized by CYP.

In the Technion labs, a new system for breath samples diagnosis, is being developed. The system is based on Nanoparticles technology.

The current study will try to identify colon and breast cancer patients through their breath samples and discriminate them from healthy individuals.

Men and women coming for colonoscopy or breast biopsy will be recruited for the study. Breath samples will be taken from all volunteers before the medical test. Subjects with positive cancer results by biopsy will be the test groups for both diseases, all others will be the control.

The research goal is to test the NaNose system ability to discriminate between healthy and sick.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men and women attending Rambam medical center for either breast biopsy or colonoscopy.
• Suspicious finding on breast imaging requiring a biopsy.
• Complaints indicating the possibility of colon cancer: Blood in stool, weight loss, constipation, anemia, family history of colon cancer.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other known active malignancy.
• History of malignant disease and treatments.

Men and women coming for medical tests:

1. Women coming for a breast biopsy following a suspicious breast imaging result.
2. Men and women coming for a colonoscopy, reffered by their family physician, due to complaints indicating the possibility of colon cancer.