Trained to spot certain compounds in the urine, dogs are able to smell thyroid cancer more than 88% of cases.
The medical world is increasingly interested in “our best friends” and their incredible flair. At the Society of Endocrinology Annual Meeting in San Diego, USA, researchers reported that trained dogs were able to detect thyroid cancer or benign tumors just by sniffing urine samples. .
This olfactory capacity has already been highlighted on numerous occasions. A few months ago, researchers reported that dogs were able to spot prostate cancer at different stages 98% of the time. Some can detect breast cancer, while others can detect lung cancer by sniffing the patient’s breath. If dogs can “smell” the presence of cancer, it is because tumor cells release volatile odorous metabolites.
88% success
This time around, a team of researchers from Arkansas Medical University trained Frankie, a German Shepherd, to be able to tell the difference between thyroid cancer and benign nodules. It is the first sniffer dog to be able to detect this pathology.
As part of this work, 34 participants donated their urine before undergoing a biopsy. Among them, 15 people had cancer and 19 had benign nodules. Frankie sniffed the urine samples one by one and managed to give the correct diagnosis for 30 patients.
“Current diagnostic methods for thyroid cancer often give uncertain results, leading to unnecessary medical procedures and a significant number of operations,” explains Donald Bodenner, head of the endocrinology – oncology department at the University of Arkansas medicine. “Sniffer dogs can be used by doctors to detect the presence of early stage thyroid cancer and avoid surgery when it is not warranted,” he adds.
Non-invasive method
However, the doctor explains that the dog’s diagnosis is “slightly less sensitive than the fine needle puncture”. This technique, generally used as the first means of diagnosis, is a biopsy. It allows cells to be taken from a nodule in order to analyze them. But, Donald Bodenner acknowledges that “the advantage of sniffer dogs is that they are non-invasive. “
Soon, the specialists will collaborate with the veterinary school of Auburn (Alabama, United States) which will dedicate two of these explosive detection dogs and will train them, from urine samples from patients, to become sniffer dogs. of thyroid cancer.
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