A trained eight-year-old Labrador retriever named Marine was able to detect colorectal cancer accurately at least 95 percent of the time, according to a study published in Gut.
A group of researchers collected stool and exhaled breath samples from 40 colorectal cancer patients and 320 healthy patients. Results showed Marine was able to detect cancerous samples in 33 of 35 breath samples and 37 of 38 stool samples. The test with Marine was repeated three times and even showed the dog was able to detect cancer in patients with other conditions, such as smoking and inflammatory disease, according to the study.
Researchers conclude that there may indeed be a "cancer scent" caused by cancer-specific chemical compounds. The scent detection could be utilized as tool for colorectal cancer screening, they say.
Read the study about colorectal cancer detection.
Read other coverage about colorectal cancer:
- Study: Optical Colonoscopy More Effective Than CT Colonography
- Researchers Study Predictors and Rate of Missed Post-Colonoscopy CRC
- Bisphosphonate Could Reduce Risk of Colorectal Cancer
A group of researchers collected stool and exhaled breath samples from 40 colorectal cancer patients and 320 healthy patients. Results showed Marine was able to detect cancerous samples in 33 of 35 breath samples and 37 of 38 stool samples. The test with Marine was repeated three times and even showed the dog was able to detect cancer in patients with other conditions, such as smoking and inflammatory disease, according to the study.
Researchers conclude that there may indeed be a "cancer scent" caused by cancer-specific chemical compounds. The scent detection could be utilized as tool for colorectal cancer screening, they say.
Read the study about colorectal cancer detection.
Read other coverage about colorectal cancer:
- Study: Optical Colonoscopy More Effective Than CT Colonography
- Researchers Study Predictors and Rate of Missed Post-Colonoscopy CRC
- Bisphosphonate Could Reduce Risk of Colorectal Cancer