U.S. researchers reported Sunday a simple breath test device the size of a coin detected three quarters of the people with lung cancer who the researchers tested. But it had too many false positives meaning it indicated lung cancer in people who did not have it.

Nonetheless, researchers said their study, published in the journal Thorax, showed such a test is possible in principle if someone developed a more accurate version.

"The unique chemical signature of the breath of patients with lung cancer can be detected with moderate accuracy by a colorimetric sensor array," the researchers wrote.

Catching lung cancer early, when it is still treatable, could save tens of thousands of lives a year in the United States alone. It is the most common form of malignant cancer and also kills the most people, in part because it is not usually detected until it has spread.

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