Volatile organic compounds as markers for cellular communication

A method of diagnosing, monitoring or prognosing lung cancer in a subject comprising the steps of:

• a) collecting a test sample comprising volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the subject;
• b) identifying and determining the level of at least one VOC from the test sample, wherein the at least one VOC is indicative of cell-to-cell signaling in lung cancer cells;
• and
• comparing the level of the at least one VOC to a reference value, wherein the reference value is obtained from a database of levels of the at least one VOC measured from a co-culture headspace of a first cell culture comprising lung cancer cells and a second cell culture, wherein the second cell culture comprises cells selected from the group consisting of normal cells, lung cancer cells which are identical to the lung cancer cells of the first cell culture and lung cancer cells which are distinct from the lung cancer cells of the first cell culture.

A method of identifying a set of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) indicative of cell-to-cell signaling in cancer cells, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a first cell culture comprising cancer cells and a second cell culture, wherein there is no physical contact between the first cell culture and the second cell culture;
• b) co-culturing the first cell culture and the second cell culture under a mutual headspace;
• c) determining concentrations of VOCs in the mutual headspace;
• d) comparing the concentrations of the VOCs in the mutual headspace to the concentrations of VOCs in a control sample;
• and
• e) identifying a set of VOCs in the mutual headspace having concentrations that are significantly different as compared to the control sample.