Scientists in Australia have developed a special breath test that can quickly detect head and neck cancers with a high degree of accuracy.

Around the world, head and neck cancers account for six percent of all cancers and kill around 300,000 people. Treatments can be effective, but that’s only if the disease is diagnosed early on, which is why this new breath test is so important.

The breath test was developed at Australia’s Flinders University and can detect breath-based biomarkers that are associated with head and neck cancers. In a study featuring 181 patients with suspected early-stage head and neck cancer, the scientists used what is called a selected ion flow tube mass spectrometer to analyze the breaths of the patients; apparently, specific patterns of breathing are associated with head and neck cancer.

In tests, the researchers found it accurately detected cancer 80 percent of the time and accurately detected benign cases 86 percent of the time. These results were confirmed via tissue biopsy analysis and then in a separate group of patients, leading scientists to believe they have found a quick and powerful tool for detecting cancer.

Ultimately, the hope is to create a handheld device that could rapidly provide information to physicians and warn them about the suspected development of head and neck cancer.