Can Dogs Really Smell Cancer?

Photo credit: https://www.royalcanin.com

Excerpt from "More Ultimate Healing"

                A Border collie/Doberman mix sniffs at a mole on his owner’s leg so persistently that the woman finally consults her doctor, who diagnoses and successfully treats her early-stage melanoma. A Labrador named Parker nudges his owner’s thigh so frequently that the man sees his physician to deal with what he thinks is eczema, only to find out that it is cancer.

                We read about these tales in tabloid magazines, but now there is scientific evidence to support what wee dog lovers have known in our hearts all along – your dog is your best friend. In a small study reported recently in the British Medical Journal, dogs actually detected cancer through their sense of smell.

THE WET NOSE KNOWS

                At the Amersham Hospital in Buckinghamshire, England, senior research scientist Caroline M. Willis, PhD, and her colleagues trained six dogs of various breeds and ages for about seven months to detect bladder cancer in people’s urine. Tumors produce volatile organic compounds, some of which are likely to have distinctive odors. These may be detected by dogs, who have an exceptional sense of smell. Researchers used urine from bladder-cancer patients, from healthy people and from patients who had non-cancerous diseases to train the dogs to distinguish those with bladder cancer. The dogs were trained to identify the sample with bladder cancer by lying down next to it. In their final exam, the dogs scored 41%, correctly recognizing the samples in 22 out of 54 instances. Their success rate was significant, as untrained dogs might be expected to identify only 14% by chance alone.

                According to Dr. Willis, the cocker spaniels were the most successful detectives, which is consistent with the fact that this breed is widely used in uncovering drugs and explosives. But she adds that the little papillon also did reasonably well, suggesting that different types of dogs may have this capability if properly trained.

                One of the most intriguing findings was that every dog identified one particular urine sample as cancerous, even though researchers originally believed it to be cancer free. When the volunteer was tested, the diagnosis was cancer of a similar type, but it was located in the kidney rather than the bladder.

THE FUTURE

                The researchers plan to train more dogs to help identify markers for other types of cancer, especially skin cancer. In addition, they are seeking to chemically identify the odor of bladder cancer, and hope that this will lead to the development of an instrumental screening method for this disease.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR PUP

                Every dog owner already knows how sensitive his/her best friend is. Dogs are in tune with tier owners. When we’re on top of the world, they are right up there with us, romping and playing. When we’re under the weather, they’re more gentle and caring.

                Still, dogs are never going to replace blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computer tomography (CT) scans and all the other high-tech cancer-screening alternatives we have at our fingertips today. So, what can we learn from this study?

                Pay attention. If your pooch acts strangely, don’t casually dismiss his behavior. He may be trying to tell you something very important about your health.

References:

Caroline M. Willis, PhD, senior research scientist, Amerisham Hospital, Buckinghamshire, England.