Rats trained to detect lung cancer from human urine succeeded in 9 out of 10 cases in a laboratory study.
- Lung cancer is the third most common cancer, according to cancer-environnement.fr
- Cancer is the leading cause of premature death in France, ahead of cardiovascular disease, according to the Foundation for Cancer Research (Arc).
Dogs are not the only animals capable of detecting cancerous tumours! In effect, the Daily Mail reveals that Israeli scientists have trained rats to spot lung cancer from human urine. And they are effective: experts claim that rodents are 90% accurate.
The disease alters body odor in people with cancer
In a lab test, rats, known for their highly sensitive sense of smell, were given samples of human urine, some of which came from lung cancer patients. Lung cancer is characterized by an uncontrolled multiplication of abnormal cells in the lung tissue, especially in the bronchi.
Nine times out of ten, the rats were able to correctly spot samples from people with cancer. Recent studies have indeed suggested that certain cancers can trigger specific body odors, which are due to the way diseased cells interact with the immune system. These odors can be found in bodily fluids such as sweat, blood, and urine.
More than 2 years of training for cancer-sniffing rats
Early Labs researchers spent two and a half years exposing lab rats to urine samples from lung cancer patients so they could recognize this smell.
“Throughout the test, the rats were subjected to a conveyor belt of urine samples, which they smelled through a hole. If they stopped smelling a sample and turned away, it was considered a negative sample, i.e. not containing cancer. On the other hand, if the rats continued to smell the sample for a prolonged period, then it was considered to have the disease.”, can we read in the DailyMail.
Detecting cancer early increases chances of survival
Avichay Porat, COO of the research center, said: “A simple urine test to detect the early stages of different types of cancer – which can be done at home, in a pharmacy or community care center and sent to the lab for quick results – is a real game-changer.“Indeed, experts say that early diagnosis is crucial for successful treatment and patient survival.
Scientists hope rats will be able to identify other types of cancer. The technique is also being tested on colon cancer samples.
