A non-invasive method of detecting a cancer disease state in a subject specimen wherein the primary cancer originates in a tissue outside of the lung, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining exhaled breath from the subject specimen, wherein the exhaled breath includes a plurality of carbonyl-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) selected from 2-butanone, 2-hydroxyacetaldehyde, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (4-HHE); forming adducts of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs with a reactive chemical compound, wherein the reactive chemical compound has a general formula of: H 2 N-Z-L-Y, wherein Z is NH, NR or O; L is a linking group; Y is a di-substituted or tri substituted N or P moiety; R is selected from the group consisting of alkyls, aralkyls, aralkenyls, and aralkynyls, each of which may be substituted or unsubstituted, and optionally contain one or more heteroatoms, and wherein the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs react with the reactive chemical compound via a dehydration reaction to form the adducts thereof; quantifying each of the adducts of each of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs to establish a subject value for each of the adducts; and comparing each subject value to a threshold healthy specimen value for each of the adducts of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs, the threshold healthy specimen value corresponding to a value calculated from healthy specimens, in order to determine the presence of two or more subject values at quantities greater than their respective threshold healthy specimen values, thereby indicating a substantial likelihood of a cancer disease state in the subject specimen. obtaining exhaled breath from the subject specimen, wherein the exhaled breath includes a plurality of carbonyl-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) selected from 2-butanone, 2-hydroxyacetaldehyde, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (4-HHE); forming adducts of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs with a reactive chemical compound, wherein the reactive chemical compound has a general formula of: H 2 N-Z-L-Y, wherein Z is NH, NR or O; L is a linking group; Y is a di-substituted or tri substituted N or P moiety; R is selected from the group consisting of alkyls, aralkyls, aralkenyls, and aralkynyls, each of which may be substituted or unsubstituted, and optionally contain one or more heteroatoms, and wherein the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs react with the reactive chemical compound via a dehydration reaction to form the adducts thereof; quantifying each of the adducts of each of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs to establish a subject value for each of the adducts; and comparing each subject value to a threshold healthy specimen value for each of the adducts of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs, the threshold healthy specimen value corresponding to a value calculated from healthy specimens, in order to determine the presence of two or more subject values at quantities greater than their respective threshold healthy specimen values, thereby indicating a substantial likelihood of a cancer disease state in the subject specimen. wherein Z is NH, NR or O; L is a linking group; Y is a di-substituted or tri substituted N or P moiety; R is selected from the group consisting of alkyls, aralkyls, aralkenyls, and aralkynyls, each of which may be substituted or unsubstituted, and optionally contain one or more heteroatoms, and wherein the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs react with the reactive chemical compound via a dehydration reaction to form the adducts thereof; quantifying each of the adducts of each of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs to establish a subject value for each of the adducts; and comparing each subject value to a threshold healthy specimen value for each of the adducts of the plurality of carbonyl-containing VOCs, the threshold healthy specimen value corresponding to a value calculated from healthy specimens, in order to determine the presence of two or more subject values at quantities greater than their respective threshold healthy specimen values, thereby indicating a substantial likelihood of a cancer disease state in the subject specimen.