Our dog sat down at a dog show at a time when the dog was supposed to stand up. That person went to her doctor and learned she had a melanoma. |
Our study provides compelling evidence that cancers hidden beneath the skin can be detected simply by [dogs] examining the odors of a person's breath. |
The challenge now is if technology can jump over the bar the dogs have set. |
The dogs learned to sit or lie down in front of cancer patient samples and to ignore control samples through the method of food reward. |
This is not the final word. |
Twelve studies (940 patients) reported that Chinese herbal medicines reduced the risk of death at 12 months by roughly one-third. |
We actually don't know what the dogs are smelling. But we do know that cancers have breakdown products - cocktails of compounds - and these smell different to a dog than normal cells. |
We hope that our study will stimulate continued interest in researching the potential benefits of combining Chinese herbal therapy with conventional therapies for people with cancer. |
What is it dogs are smelling, and can chemical analysis match the dogs in terms of specificity and sensitivity? Then the pathway will likely lead to an ?electronic nose. |
Yes, we were astounded, as well. And that's why it needs to be replicated with other dogs, plus chemical analysis of what's in the breath. |