Sniffing Alert! German Shepherd Can Detect Thyroid Cancer In Patients Through 'Sniffing'

Dogs are not just faithful, but can also work as well as a normal cancer detection test, according to a new research. Doctors have revealed that if trained properly, canines can successfully detect cancer in patients by sniffing their urine sample, prior to getting any traditional tests done.

During the study, the researchers from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, trained a German Shepherd mix name Frankie wherein he was ordered to smell the urine samples of 34 patients. The dog's reaction for each sample was noted and it was observed that Frankie has correctly identified 30 sampled out of 34.

The researchers claimed that the success rate of dogs detecting the cancer by identifying a certain scent in the urine sample is around 88.2 percent.

According to the researchers, this canine capability can be successfully used by the physicians for early detection of thyroid cancer and to minimise the need for surgical diagnostic procedure, fine-needle biopsy, which is currently used for detection of thyroid cancer. The U.S. scientists have claimed that the scent-trained dogs can help "avoid surgeries when unwarranted."

Dogs are known to have a well-developed sense of smell since time immemorial. Taking reference from a dog's ability to smell out hidden drugs, the researchers at the Arkansas are now aiming toward finding out if the dogs can be trained to identify certain chemical signs of thyroid cancer in the urine.

The U.S. researchers presented their study findings at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, and the complete study has been published in the journal EurekAlert.

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