Dogs May Be Able to Sniff Out Cancer

Portuguese water dog  puppyNEW YORK (Reuters Health Published: January 12, 2006 ) - Dogs' keen sense of smell might help in the early diagnosis of cancer, researcPublished:hers report in the current issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies. The findings show that trained ordinary household dogs can detect early-stage lung and breast cancers by merely sniffing the breath samples of patients.

``We've seen anecdotal evidence before suggesting that dogs can smell the presence of certain types of cancer,'' Michael McCulloch, from the Pine Street Foundation in San Anselmo, California, told Reuters Health, ``but until now, nobody had conducted a thorough study such as this.'' Researchers have observed that cancer cells release molecules different from those of their healthy counterparts, and that might be perceived by smell by the highly sensitive dog's nose.

For the study, five dogs, three Labrador retrievers and two Portuguese water dogs, were trained by a professional instructor to respond differently to exhaled breath samples of healthy and cancer patients. ``Thn electronic device that can do the dogs' job. ``I hope people will be interested in pursuing this research,'' McCulloch added. ``It shows that there is definitely something out there.''

SOURCE: Integrative Cancer Therapies, MarcNCRI and Washington claimed.