I'm looking for the correct word and spelling of a word that sounds
like "voc" used in the following sentence:  If the patient is going to
be in surgery for a lumpectomy, the surgeon can request an emergency
needle "voc" from us.

Dear dianer522-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. The
term ?VOC? is an acronym for ?volatile organic compounds?. A needle
aspiration can sometimes identify a cancer (or the presence of it) in
some tissues by first detecting the presence of volatile organic
compounds using sensitive analytical equipment. In addition there are
believed to be certain volatile markers in the breath of some patients
that can also be analyzed for the presence of volatile organic
compounds and thus, potentially, cancer.

?Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs are organic chemicals that easily
vaporize at room temperature. They are called organic because they
contain the element carbon in their molecular structures. VOCs have no
colour, smell, or taste. VOCs include a very wide range of individual
substances, such as hydrocarbons (for example benzene and toluene),
halocarbons and oxygenates.?
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Air_Quality/Older/VOCs.html


I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs)
http://www.weatherbos.com/Environment/VOCarticle.htm

RESPIRATORY RESEARCH
?Exhaled volatile organic compounds in patients with non-small cell
lung cancer: cross sectional and nested short-term follow-up study?
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1185565



SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

VOC

Lumpectomy

Cancer

Volatile organic compounds

Is there any chance that the word could be "biop"? I've heard this
used as an abbreviation for "biopsy."