A group of highly trained dogs in the UK is on the front line of a groundbreaking study aimed at detecting early-stage bowel cancer. These remarkable canines are the first to undergo training to identify the disease by sniffing urine samples from hospital patients.
In 2024, the Medical Detection Dogs Charity launched an ambitious project with seven dogs to explore the potential of canine scent detection for identifying tumors. The dogs involved in the study include Cocker Spaniels Mango, Callie, and Dotty, Labradors Hetty, Rosie, and Jodie, as well as Flat-coated Retriever Willow. Early results are promising, with the dogs demonstrating significant success in detecting bowel cancer.
The Next Step: Blind Tests and Official Results
While the dogs have already shown the ability to detect bowel cancer, they are now entering a crucial phase of the project: “blind tests.” These tests will further confirm their capabilities and provide official results. According to Gemma Butlin, Head of Communications at the charity based in Milton Keynes, the dogs are still in the testing phase, and final confirmation is expected in a few months.
Butlin explained, “The charity has been investigating the odour of diseases for 15 years, but our bowel cancer project is relatively recent. The bowel cancer study is new to us, but detection is not. The dogs are showing signs of being able to detect the odor of bowel cancer, but we haven’t done the double-blind testing that will give us the official results yet.”
How the Bowel Cancer Detection Training Works
The dogs’ training program involves early scent exposure and learning a “game” in which they must identify the presence of disease in sample pots of urine. Over time, the samples become smaller, and the dogs are challenged to detect the cancerous odor amidst samples from patients with other medical conditions.
Urine samples are provided by Hull University Teaching Hospitals and placed on interactive metal stands designed by The Open University. These stands feed data through to a computer, logging every sniff. When a dog detects cancer, they signal their finding by standing still or sitting. If they identify a positive sample, they are rewarded with treats and affection.
Butlin emphasized the importance of proving the dogs’ ability to detect cancer. “From our point of view, each stand has an example of urine, and they sniff each stand. When they sniff the odor, they give us a signal such as sitting or standing to indicate the smell. If they identify a positive sample, which takes less than 10 seconds, they’ll get lots of treats, cuddles, and affection.”
A Unique Approach to Bowel Cancer Detection
The dogs are not only being trained for bowel cancer detection but have also learned to identify a range of other conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, pseudomonas, COVID-19, Addison’s disease, and heart conditions like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The same method that the dogs are using for bowel cancer detection has already been successfully employed to detect prostate and bladder cancers from urine samples.
Each dog started their training journey with the charity at just eight weeks old, gradually building the skills required for such specialized tasks. Butlin notes that aside from the focused training, the dogs also form strong bonds with their trainers, making the process both effective and enjoyable for the animals.
“We need to prove that they can smell cancer from the samples,” Butlin added. “At the moment, we’ve got them smelling 1ml of urine per pot – which, as you can imagine, is a minimal amount. Many people who have provided the samples will also have other diseases they’ll need to sniff through.”
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