| Study reveals dogs can sniff out lung cancer, a disease that's notoriously hard to detect |
Study reveals dogs can sniff out lung cancer, a disease that's notoriously hard to detect
August 19, 2011 Dog is man's best friend - and maybe man's best oncologist too. Researchers at a German hospital have discovered that canines have the ability to sniff out lung cancer, the disease that claims more lives than any other form of cancer, CBS News reports. Schillerhoehe Hospital collected breath samples from 220 volunteers and presented them to a group of specially trained dogs, according to the news channel. The dogs didn't disappoint. They detected nearly 75 percent of the lung cancer cases, and were correct in indicating the absence of the cancer in 372 out of 400 cases, according to the study, which was published in the European Respiratory Journal. What the dogs detected were slight changes in the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that humans give off when they exhale. Lung cancer-a disease that is more often than not diagnosed by chance- is usually not detected until it has reached an advanced stage. Read the rest of the article by clicking the link below. Posted by Ken at 12:00 AM |