Research on
canine cancer detection are mainly run in USA, Great Britain and Sweden. Really
good results are obtained in about 30% dogs breeds with an extremely sensitive
smell, sufficiently intelligible in the training and persistent enough. So, scientists
discovered that best dog races for this job are labradors, shepherds,
schnauzers, spaniels and few others. Effectiveness of dog cancer detection ranges
between 70% even to 90%.
How dogs can
do it, and how does training look like?
In trainings people are focusing on dog’s natural abilities to distinguish different
scents in trace amounts. It is actually quite similar to how police dogs are
trained to find drugs. During trainings animal has few different containers
with samples of exhaled air or urine. After smelling every sample dog sits or
lies down next to this one which “smells of cancer”. Each time for pointing correct
sample animal is rewarded and that is how dogs can learn how to detect cancer.
In the north
of Italy in Castellanza city there is a dog named Liu, it is German Shepherd
which works as a cancer diagnostician in a hospital. The local staff laughs
that Liu is the best doctor on their section and is able to detect cancer in
urine samples much faster than medical analysis and it is accurate in 98% of
cases! Unfortunately, in Poland no medical facility decided to use four legs
specialist in medical examinations regarding cancer.
Professional
skepticism
Many oncologists thinks that most of these researches were not reliable and in
lack of details. Also, that samples used in research were taken from people
with fully diagnosed tumor often in advanced stadium. So unfortunately, there
is lack of evidence that dogs can detect cancer in it’s early stage when there
are no visible symptoms of the disease.
Your own home anti-cancer detector
In theory every dog even without any professional
training should be able to detect tumor at its owner. Maybe even some of our
pupils tries to show us that something wrong is going on but sadly it is
usually illegible for human. That is why our favorite pets need training to
show us something that we can understand. But sometimes dogs can give us heads
up with its unusual behavior. There was a case in 2003 when a dog sniffed a lot
skin change on its owner leg. The owner got suspicious and told about it to his
doctor, after examination this skin change happened to be melanoma.
Questions:
1. Do you think that dogs can in fact
detect cancer or is it just dog-fans made up story?
2. Do you think that animals can help
in any other way to develop new medical solutions?
3. Would you like to have a dog with a
cancer detector included in it’s skill set?
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_cancer_detection
https://www.livescience.com/61234-how-dogs-smell-cancer.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/9935073/How-my-beloved-dog-found-my-cancer.html
https://pngtree.com/freepng/a-doctor-with-a-first-aid-kit%3B-a-dog_3359732.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-20729756
Comments
For example, "dog-doctor" will not help in the development of medical solutions. Medicine is an exact science (despite the fact that in medicine they make mistakes), and the dog is still an animal that does not give accurate diagnoses and does not even know how to speak. And for those who believe this diagnostic method is accurate, they can get a dog at home.
Can you imagine a chip embedded into a dog that should warn me in some way if the dog smells cancer? No, I love dogs such as they are, probably a dog that will live with me will be my friend, and doctors should diagnose cancer.
The dog may be a hint for cancer detection, but I agree with my colleagues that we should leave it to the doctors. Of course, animals can actually identify variable states of well-being in their owners, but this is due to the fact that they stay with them every day. This is influenced by a different odor that we can emit at the moment, increased sweating ... Such elements are easily noticeable to animals.
s12560
I don't think that animals can help in any way to develop new medical solutions, but well, I didn't know about this one with a cancer too, so who knows.
Unfortunately, in my family a lot of females were diagnosed with a cancer. I really hope that in case of cancer my dog will show it to me and save my life. I'm not sure if they can do it at the earliest stages, but it would be great if they will.
Some animals could have more sharpened senses in some aspects, so maybe they can help develop new medical solutions, but nothing specific comes to my mind in this moment.
I'm not a big fan of dogs, I'd rather prefer cat with such skillset ;P But of course, having this kind of dog would be a thing.
I wouldn`t like to have any dogs, because I don`t really like to have domestic animals.
In my opinion it is hard to say. I have heard about guide dogs that help people who are blind. I haven't heard that animals could help in any way in the development of new medical solutions.
No, I don't like animals, especially at home.
Well I agree that you don't need to be pet lover to appreciate dogs input in human lives. And you’re probably right that a long time will pass before human can invent something better in sniffing then dogs nose.
1. Do you think that dogs can in fact detect cancer or is it just dog-fans made up story?
I think that in order to determine whether they are actually able to do it, we need some research on that topic. And if that is true, and we can determine how they do it then we can just use some tools to do so.
2. Do you think that animals can help in any other way to develop new medical solutions?
I think that the best area for their help would be in therapies or just to make that sad hospitals more welcome for people. Of course in the areas and close to the patients they can dwell.
3. Would you like to have a dog with a cancer detector included in it’s skill set?
I would like to have a good boy even without that particular skill
Animals and new medical solutions? It's very hard topic... We can use them in therapies (they are always makes us happy) but nothing more.
I would like to have a dog... without regard to his skill set. I like animals (especially dogs) but I'm living in flat so I don't have place for them. Of course, If cancer detector could help somebody then I would like to have dog with it :)
Difficult to say, I'm not a doctor.
2. Do you think that animals can help in any other way to develop new medical solutions?
Yes, of course, but I think training will not be easy and we have to remember that animals can make mistakes (as we).
3. Would you like to have a dog with a cancer detector included in it’s skill set?
Yes, why not.
I don't know how dogs can help in developing new vaccines or new ways of medical treatments but they for sure can assist doctors when diagnosing patients.
I don't know but it sounds a little bit odd. Sure, some people would like to buy a dog like that.