We have many high tech methods to detect cancer. We have blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, MRIs just to name a few. Now there’s a low tech means to detect prostate cancer using dogs. An Italian study showed a 93% reliability rate for detecting bladder and prostate cancer.
The latest research, by the Department of Urology at the Humanitas Clinical and Research Centre in Milan, involved two German shepherds sniffing the urine of 900 men – 360 with prostate cancer and 540 without.
Scientists found that dogs were accurate in 98.7% of cases.
They said the dogs are able to detect prostate cancer specific volatile organic compounds in the urine but said an important question remains of how a dog would find it in daily practice.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the US, with more than 250,000 new cases diagnosed every year.
Dogs can pick up a scent in a dilution of one to a thousand parts. There is no single test for prostate cancer, but the most commonly used are blood tests, a physical examination or a biopsy.
The research has been published in the Journal Of Urology, one of America’s most prestigious urologic publications.
Bottom Line: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men and there are a myriad of tests to make the diagnosis. Perhaps in the near future we will be asking fido to help us out!
Tags: dogs, dogs sniffing out prostate cancer, prostate, prostate cancer, PSA
Dr. Neil Baum's Urology Blog 
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