Pilot study: volatile organic compounds as a diagnostic marker for head and neck tumors. 
In the last decade, the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOC) has undergone a rapid development.  In this pilot study, patients with HNSCC were tested with a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry in order to establish a minimal invasive screening method.  Overall in a period of 2 years, 22 carcinoma patients were recruited for the study.  All patients had a newly diagnosed histologically secured squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract.  These results were statistically compared with 3 control groups: healthy controls, high-risk, and posttherapy patients.  Two hundred nine different masses were measured; 188 of these were evaluated.  The statistical workup of the 4 study groups produced 42 different masses, which showed a statistically significant difference from the carcinoma group compared with the control groups.  A screening method for HNSCC using VOC seems to be possible, but further investigation is necessary.