Dogs Sniff Out Cancer

A hundred years ago, some doctors were trained to recognize certain diseases by smell. That skill is no longer being taught in medical school. But canines, who have a far more sensitive sense of smell than humans, may soon be added to diagnostic strategies. Previous studies have show that dogs can be trained to detect bladder cancer by sniffing urine samples. Now, researchers have found that dogs can detect lung cancer by identifying certain volatile organic compounds in patients’ breath. The dogs were able to distinguish between lung cancer patients, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and healthy volunteers, demonstrating that the use of canine sniffing ability could help doctors detect lung cancer earlier than is now usual.
[European Respiratory Journal, online August 18, 2011]