Dogs help detect cancer

A recent study has shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out cancer, and that the results can be more accurate that CT Scans. According to this article, "dogs were able to detect cancer from breath samples with an accuracy rate of between 88 and 97 per cent." The study trained dogs to detect cancer from breath samples, and included a control group of healthly people: "The current study used three Labrador retrievers and two Portuguese water dogs, 7 to 18 months old, who were trained by being given treats as rewards when they lay down in front of the cancer breath samples. In the double-blind study, not even their handlers knew which samples were from cancer patients, so the dogs had to wait until they left the room to be rewarded." In future, the study may lead to earlier detection of some cancers, which means treament can start sooner, possibly soon enough to stop the cancer before it spreads.

Read the full article here.