Can Dogs Smell Cancer?

Can man’s best friend also be a person’s best chance for early cancer detection? Some studies say yes.

Dogs have long been associated with heroic acts. They dutifully lead the disabled. Their ability to identify chemicals diluted as low as parts per trillion allows them to pick up where the human nose leaves off. So why not detect cancer?

Studies have indicated that dogs can successfully identify bladder and melanoma cancers in sufferers. But researchers of a 2006 study at Pine Street Foundation in Marin County, Calif., led by Michael McCulloch, got some impressive results. They found that dogs could positively identify breast and lung cancer with 99 percent accuracy.

Here’s how the study was carried out:

Five dogs (three Labradors and two Portuguese water dogs) were borrowed from owners and Guide Dogs for the Blind. They were trained over a three week period to detect lung and breast cancer based on nothing but breathe.

All 86 cancer patients, smokers and non-smokers, had recently been diagnosed with cancer and had not yet undergone treatment. Then, 83 healthy volunteers were mixed into the group. Each person gave breathe samples that were captured in tubes and presented to dogs individually.

Dogs would sit or lay down in front of the samples when they detected cancerous scents. They were trained to ignore negative samples. Dogs were rewarded with a clicker and food rewards.

Researchers found that dogs could accurately spot cancer from very early to late stages.

All information from VPI.