In the UK, each year, nearly 75,000 patients are diagnosed with the five major gastrointestinal cancers, namely oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, liver and colorectal cancer, and due to multiple factors, diagnosis is often delayed resulting in poor overall survival. Every year, collectively, these cancers claim nearly 45,000 lives. Early detection is critical to improving overall survival and aligned with the NHS long-term Plan.
The Hanna Group is dedicated to developing a series of cancer-specific breath tests that can be used to identify high-risk patients for urgent and definitive investigation to enable earlier detection. We have successfully developed breath-based prediction models for the above cancers, and the purpose of the BRAVE study is to externally validate these models.
Aims
Methods
Between August 2026-February 2028, participants with histopathology confirmed, treatment nau00efve cancer and age-and gender-matched controls will be recruited prospectively from multiple NHS Trusts across England, Scotland and Wales. 100 cancers and 100 controls will be recruited to each arm of the study, making the total sample size of 1,000 participants. Participants will attend a one-off research appointment to provide a breath sample and answer questions about their medical history. Patients in the OGC arm will consume a nutritional supplement [Oral Stimulant Drink (OSD)] and provide an additional post-drink breath sample.
Recruitment to this trial takes place through participating NHS centres. If you think you may be eligible, please speak with your GP or hospital clinician who can refer you through the appropriate pathway.
Healthcare professional enquiries: Jessie McClymount (Trial Coordinator) or Sameera Sharma (Clinical Research Fellow) · brave-study@imperial.ac.uk