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One of the breath test devices being used in the bowel cancer trial Photo: supplied
Scientists at Otago University and Callaghan Innovation believe bowel cancer could be detected by a breath test.
Their research focusses on identifying a set of compounds in breath that may help identify the presence of cancer or precancer in the bowel.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world with more than 3,000 people being diagnosed and over 1,200 dying from the disease each year.
Currently, diagnosis relies on invasive and expensive colonoscopy, usually once someone has symptoms.
Callaghan Innovation Principal Research Scientist Dr Joseph Deere is one of the research team.