After gaining insight on how known volatile groups affected
the response of the WOLF sensors, testing of the machine’s diag-
nostic capabilities on biological samples was undertaken. Urine
samples were collected from pre-diagnosed patients recruited at
the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire, including a
total of 39 suffering from colorectal cancer (CRC) and 35 from ir-
ritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In addition, 18 additional healthy
controls were tested (Ethical Approval Number: 09/H1211/38).
Table 2 below shows the demographics of each group. All cases of
CRC (adenocarcinoma) were confirmed on colonoscopy and his-
tology. The demographics do show a variation in some factors,
including gender and age. However, these are indicative of the
average demographics of patients found within the disease groups.
For example IBS sufferers are much more likely to be female, and
CRC patients are only very rarely under the age of 60. All samples
were collected as standard spot urine early in the morning to
ensure a common fasting period, and urine “dipstick” tests were
conducted to rule out the presence of infection, diabetes or renal
disease. Urine samples were stored frozen at