Neuroscience For Kids
Super Smeller Dog Sniffs Out Cancer
July 21, 2008
In 2004, researchers showed that dogs could be trained to identify bladder cancer by smelling urine samples. Just published research extends these findings: a dog has been trained to sniff out ovarian cancer, even early-stage cancer.
Dr. Gyorgy Horvath and his coworkers in Sweden and Hungary trained a
4-year-old black Riesenschnauzer dog to scratch and sniff at ovarian
cancer tissue samples and ignore control tissue samples. Control tissue
samples were other body tissues, such as muscle or fat, from cancer
patients. The dog correctly identified ALL ovarian cancer samples (20
trials), but rarely responded to control tissue samples or to cancerous
non-ovarian tissue. Even ovarian tumors in early stages caused the dog to
respond.
This study illustrates that dogs can be trained to detect a
specific odor in cancerous tissue. Although it is too soon have dogs
working alongside doctors in the examining room, this experiment may lead
to new treatments and cures for cancer.
Reference and more information:
- Horvath, G., Jarverud, G.a.K., Jarverud, S. and Horvath, I., Human ovarian carcinomas detected by specific odor, Int. Cancer Therapies, 7:76-80, 2008.
- Sniffing Out Bladder Cancer - from Neuroscience for Kids
- Bloodhounds: King of the Trackers - from Neuroscience for Kids
- The Nose Knows - from Neuroscience for Kids
- Our Chemical Senses: Olfaction - from Neuroscience for Kids
Copyright © 1996-2008, Eric H. Chudler, University of Washington
