A new trial study from Israel has revealed that a new test may help spot the earliest signs of stomach cancer in future.

According to the researchers, a simple breath test could help to predict whether people with gut problems are at high risk of developing stomach cancer.

The test involves detection of tiny chemical compounds in people's breath in order to distinguish unique 'breath prints' in those with risky pre-cancerous changes. However, more work is needed to legalize the test.

About 7,300 people in the UK are affected by stomach cancer each year. However, it is diagnosed late and the chance of survival reduces with delay in detection. This happens because its symptoms, which include indigestion and pain, are usually mistaken for other health conditions. Scientists believe that an earlier detection might help to improve the prognosis.

The researchers from Israel, Latvia and China studied breath samples from 145 patients out of which around 30 of them were already known to have stomach cancer.

The rest of the participants had been referred for investigations because of concerning symptoms. Although they did not have full-blown cancer, some had worrying changes that doctors call 'pre-cancerous', which could easily develop into malignancies.

The breath test was tried on participants on a number of different scenarios and found that the test was fairly good at spotting cancerous samples from non-cancerous ones.

It also showed some promise at identifying worrying pre-cancerous changes that were at high risk of developing into the disease.

Dr. Emma Smith of Cancer Research UK said, "Diagnosing cancer in its early stages offers patients the best chance of successful treatment, so research like this has potential to help save lives. But we would need to be sure the test is sensitive and accurate enough to be used more widely".