Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Dogs Used to Detect Cancer

According to a study conducted by researchers at Amersham Hospital in England and reported in the British Medical Journal, dogs with no special training were able to detect the urine specimens that came from bladder cancer patients when placed alongside specimens from healthy patients. Their combined success rate was calculated at more than twice that of random selection. The dogs that were most successful were three-and-a-half times more likely to correctly identify samples from bladder cancer subjects than random choice.

Perhaps the most astounding outcome of the study involved a sample provided by a subject that tested negative for cancer on multiple evaluations. All of the dogs selected this person’s sample as positive for cancer. As a result, doctors conducted further tests and were able to locate a previously unnoticed life-threatening kidney tumor.

The issue under investigation now is how to implement a system that incorporates this amazing canine ability.

Source: Healthy Pet Newsletter

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