Thanks to their exceptional sense of smell, dogs detect cancer with an impressive 97% reliability. This capacity opens new perspectives in the early detection of the disease. This is the promise that arises from a recent American study.
Smell is the most developed sense in dogs. It is said to be a million times more developed than that of humans. Our four-legged companion has many superpowers. If they have been used for a long time by rescuers during disasters or accidents or by law enforcement to detect drugs or explosives, medicine is still discovering these extraordinary abilities According to a recent American study, dogs are capable of detecting cancer with 97% reliability. .
A very promising discovery.
The Beagle, an aid to detecting cancer
Researchers from the company BioScentDx (United States) have highlighted the exceptional olfactory abilities of beagles in the early detection of lung cancer. They put them through rigorous training. On one side, blood samples from healthy patients, and on the other, blood samples from patients with advanced lung cancer. The results obtained are remarkable: the beagles, after associating a specific odor with the cancerous samples, managed to identify the “sick” samples and 97.5% the “healthy” samples with a staggering accuracy of 96.7%. A new horizon is opening up in the field of medical diagnosis.
On the trail of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
How can we explain this extraordinary screening capacity? Dogs may be able to detect a broader spectrum of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by cancer cells. These molecules, the true olfactory signature of the disease, are not specific to a particular type of cancer but indicate the presence of abnormal cell proliferation. In other words, the dogs would not detect the type of cancer but rather the presence of a tumor process.
These VOCs, true biological markers of cancer, are found in various bodily fluids. Sweat, breath, stools and urine. They are disseminated throughout the body through the bloodstream. They are in fact detectable throughout the body of an individual suffering from cancer. This characteristic could revolutionize early cancer detection, allowing faster and broader detection of the disease.
An idea that is gaining ground
The first anecdotes reporting such facts date back to the 1980s. Indeed, numerous testimonies attest to the ability of certain dogs to show an unusual interest in skin lesions, particularly suspicious moles. These anecdotal observations have aroused the curiosity of the scientific community, encouraging researchers around the world to systematically explore this avenue. In Germany, work has demonstrated their ability to identify the breath of patients with lung cancer. In France, urologist and oncologist Olivier Cussenot demonstrated the ability of canines to detect tumor biomarkers in the urine of patients with prostate cancer. Other studies have highlighted the promising role of dogs in detecting colorectal cancers through stool analysis.
For now, the main obstacle to deploying this solution remains the cost of dog training. This method remains very encouraging. Painless and non-invasive, it would ultimately allow rapid medical treatment.
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