Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry analysis of volatile metabolites in urine headspace for the profiling of gastro-esophageal cancer

Urine is considered an ideal biofluid for clinical investigation because it is obtained noninvasively and relatively large volumes are easily acquired. In this study, selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) has been applied for the quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the headspace vapor of urine samples, which were retrieved from three groups of patients with gastro-esophageal cancer, noncancer diseases of the upper gastro-intestinal tract, and a healthy cohort.