The dogs detecting cancer are 97% accurate in the identification of lung cancer: study

Three Beagles have successfully shown that they were able to identify lung cancer by scent, a first step in identifying specific biomarkers of the disease. Researchers say that the capabilities of these dogs could lead to the development of effective, safe and inexpensive ways of detecting cancer en mbade.

After eight weeks of training, the Beagles – chosen for their superior olfactory receptor genes – were able to distinguish blood serum samples taken from patients with malignant lung cancer and healthy controls with an accuracy of 97%. The double-blind study is published in the July edition of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

"We use dogs to sort the perfume layers up to identifying revealing biomarkers," said Thomas Quinn, DO, a professor at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and lead author of this study. "There is still a lot of work to do, but we are doing well."

The dogs were taken to a room with blood serum samples at the nose. Some samples came from patients with non-small cell lung cancer; others were learned from healthy controls. After carefully sniffing a sample, the dogs sat down to indicate a positive result for cancer or moved on to something else if none was detected.

Dr. Quinn and his team are about to complete a second iteration of the study. This time, dogs are trying to identify lung cancer, bad cancer and colorectal cancer using breath samples collected by the patient and collected by the patient while breathing in a face mask. The researchers say the findings suggest that dogs are also effective in detecting cancer using this method.

The next step will be to further split the samples according to their chemical and physical properties and to present them to the dogs until the identification of biomarkers specific to each cancer. The goal is to develop an over-the-counter screening product, similar to the pregnancy test, in terms of cost, simplicity and availability. Dr. Quinn envisions a device in which a person can breathe and discovers a color change to indicate a positive or negative result.

Early detection key

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world, for both women and men. Each year, more than 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with lung cancer. The five-year survival rate for stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is 92%. This falls to 13% in stage IIIC NSCLC and, after metastasis, five-year survival rates range from 10% to less than 1%, depending on the stage.

In addition, screening and imaging of lung cancer is expensive and not always reliable. Chest X-rays have a high rate of false negatives, while CT scans have a high false-positive rate. Previous studies indicated that 90% of missed lung cancers occurred during the use of chest X-rays and that CT scans had difficulty identifying small central juxtavascular lung cancers.

Dr. Quinn believes that his research can lead to better screening and diagnostic solutions that can create a change in cancer detection.

"Currently, it appears that dogs have a better natural ability to detect cancer than our most advanced technology," says Dr. Quinn. "Once we have discovered what they know and how, we may be able to catch up."

Provided by
American Association of Osteopathy