Canine cancer detection

Canine cancer detection is an approach to cancer screening that relies upon the olfactory ability of dogs to detect, in urine or in breath, very low concentrations of the alkanes and aromatic compounds generated by tumors.

Background

It is claimed that dogs can detect some substances in the region of parts per trillion and evolutionary theories explaining the ability of dogs to detect human cancers have been proposed.^[1][2]

Research

Although the first suggestion of this approach in a medical journal, The Lancet, dates back to 1989,^[3] there were only occasional publications on the subject in the next decade.^[4]

However, two studies (one published in 2004^[5][6][7] and one in 2006), involving detection in urine, had promising results, with the 2006 report claiming a 99% accuracy in detecting lung cancer,^[8] although both studies were preliminary and involved small numbers of patients.

In a 2011 study, lung cancer was identified with a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 93%, using breath samples.^[9] Other studies, also with breath samples, have found promising results.^[10]

Application

There are two proposed benefits, assuming that further studies corroborate the initial results.

• Some researchers believe that dogs will become integrated directly into patient care, akin to their use in detecting bombs and drugs, as well as locating missing people.
• Others recommend that the skill of dogs in detecting cancer would be more appropriately confined to labs, where gas chromatographs could be used to isolate which specific compounds the dogs identified. Recent developments include a simple breathalyser which changes colour according to the compounds in the breath, indicating the presence of cancer.^[11]

See also

• Scent hound

References

1. "Can dogs smell cancer?". Dogs Detect Cancer - Saving Lives. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
2. "Dogs to be used to detect breast cancer in new research trial". Telegraph.co.uk. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
3. Williams H, Pembroke A (1989). "Sniffer dogs in the melanoma clinic?". Lancet 1 (8640): 734. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(89)92257-5. PMID 2564551.
4. Church J, Williams H (2001). "Another sniffer dog for the clinic?". Lancet 358 (9285): 930–930. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(01)06065-2. PMID 11575380.
5. Willis CM, Church SM, Guest CM, et al. (2004). "Olfactory detection of human bladder cancer by dogs: proof of principle study". BMJ 329 (7468): 712–0. doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7468.712. PMC 518893. PMID 15388612.
6. "USATODAY.com - Study shows dogs able to smell cancer". usatoday.com. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
7. "Dogs Can Smell Cancer". cbsnews.com. 24 September 2004. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
8. McCulloch M, Jezierski T, Broffman M, Hubbard A, Turner K, Janecki T (2006). "Diagnostic accuracy of canine scent detection in early- and late-stage lung and breast cancers". Integrative cancer therapies 5 (1): 30–9. doi:10.1177/1534735405285096. PMID 16484712.
9. Ehmann R, Boedeker E, Friedrich U; et al. (August 2011). "Canine scent detection in the diagnosis of lung cancer: Revisiting a puzzling phenomenon". Eur Respir J 39 (3): 669–76. doi:10.1183/09031936.00051711. PMID 21852337.
10. "Dogs Smell Cancer in Patients' Breath, Study Shows". National Geographic News. 12 January 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
11. "BBC NEWS - Health - Lung cancer 'colour breath test'". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

External links

• Pine Street Foundation - Information and FAQs on Canine Scent Detection of Cancer at pinestreetfoundation.org
• NYTimes - "Dogs Excel on Smell Test to Find Cancer" at The New York Times
• NYTimes - Dogs and Their Fine Noses Find New Career Path at The New York Times
• Dr Dog, the cancer specialist at The Sunday Times
• Dogs Smell Cancer in Patients' Breath at National Geographic
• "Cancer-Detecting Dogs". CNN transcript. February 7, 2006.
• "Man's best friend may hold key to sniffing out certain cancers" at San Francisco Business Times
• "Sniffing out cancer" at Pacific Sun