Dogs truly are man’s best friend. Their proven ability to detect lung cancer by smelling our breath has led to scientists developing a cancer breathalyzer.
In August 2011 German scientists did a study in which two German shepherds and a Labrador retriever smelled the breath of 220 people and successfully identified 71 out of 100 lung cancer patients. The dogs were also able to discern between lung cancer and other lung problems, as well as sniffing accurately through the breath of patients that just smoked a cigarette.
What does this do for us? Scientists have conducted a small but successful study using a prototype breathalyzer. The test not only detected cancer, but it was able to differentiate between the four most common types of cancer: lung, bowel, breast and prostate.
This is very beneficial because it makes early detection that much easier. Early detection means that the cancer can be treated at an earlier stage, making recovery much more likely.
When cancer grows in the body, it emits chemicals. Research has shown that sensors, involving gold nanoparticles, could be used to detect these chemicals in our breath.
In an interview on guardian.co.uk, Professor Abraham Kuten at Technion Israel Institute of Technology said, “This study shows that an ‘electronic nose’ can distinguish between healthy and malignant breath, and can also differentiate between the breath of patients with different cancer types.” Kuten went on to say, “It could also be an easy way to assess and monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment and detect relapses earlier.”
While the study was only done on a small scale-with 177 volunteers-it was still accurate in determining healthy people and those with cancer. Dr. Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information at Cancer Research UK, says that this is only a small study and more information is needed to see if our breath can be used to detect cancer. “These results are interesting,” Walker said, “and show that there is the potential to develop a single breath test to detect these cancers.”
So dogs have now proven why they have the title “man’s best friend.” Hopefully in the near future we will be able to take a breathalyzer at our annual check ups, and early detection of cancer could result in saving a lot of lives.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025