Three beagles successfully showed they are capable of identifying lung cancer by scent, a first step in identifying specific biomarkers for the disease – and researchers say the dogs’ abilities may lead to the development of a safe, effective, and inexpensive means for mass cancer screening.
After eight weeks of training, the beagles – chosen for their superior olfactory receptor genes – were able to distinguish between blood serum samples taken from patients with malignant lung cancer and healthy controls with 97% accuracy. The double-blind study is published in the July edition of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Continue reading “Dogs Detecting Lung Cancer With 97% Accuracy May Spell the End of Expensive Screening Methods”