Cancer K9s

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For more delicious news, go to www.GoodNewsGoodPlanet.com, and scroll to bottom for more ways to find the feel good stuff!* CANCER K9S Cancer is going to the dogs. While canines are often used to sniff out drugs and bombs, researchers are now using them to nose out certain types of cancer. A British organization called Medical Detection Dogs is conducting one of the largest clinical trials of canine cancer detection. In the studies, trained dogs circle a carousel of blood serum samples containing both normal and malignant ones. The canines were able to sniff out the cancerous ones with 97% accuracy, better than some traditional lab tests. A dog's nose has about 300 million sensors compared with a human's 5 million. Dogs also have a second smelling device known as a Jacobson's organ, essentially giving them two noses. This double smelling system makes them 10,000 times more sensitive than humans, and allows them to detect cancer's unique odor signatures called volatile organic compounds. These signatures are contained in a person's sweat, breath, urine, and other bodily fluids. With such powerful sniffers, certain dogs can identify colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and melanomas. Until now, most reports of canines detecting cancer were anecdotal. The study's findings confirm these stories and will hopefully reduce or eliminate expensive, invasive screening. "I absolutely believe that dogs can detect cancer,” says Cynthia Otto, director of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Working Dog Center. “The bigger question is how we will use them in the battle to fight cancer?” Scientists are still working on how to implement dogs in clinical practice and on a broader scale. Possibilities include using them in conjunction with traditional diagnostic tests or creating something entirely new, such as an "electronic nose" that could imitate a dog's powerful smelling abilities. One thing remains clear: man's best friend is proving to be man's greatest ally as well, in the fight against cancer. #### *Hungry for more of the Good Stuff? Search "Good News Good Planet" on YouTube, Instagram, Patreon, Alexa and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.