New use for a dog's nose

Research is indicating that dogs may be able to detect chemicals released into urine by prostate tumors.

Read the article by WebMD.com writer Charlene Laino here.

The concept isn't new. Other researchers have reported varying degrees of success using dogs to detect cancers of the skin, lung, and bladder, says researcher Pierre Bigot, MD, of Tenon Hospital in Paris.

The theory is that many tumors release chemicals with distinct odors that can be picked up by dogs, whose sense of smell is much more sensitive than that of humans, he tells WebMD.

Researchers used a Belgian Malinois, a breed used in drug and bomb detection. The dog was trained to identify urine from a patient with confirmed prostate cancer and then taught to tell samples that were from healthy men.

Out of 66 tests, the dog was correct 63 times. Other dogs are now being tested.

The goal is not to have dogs sniffing around hospital testing labs, but to determine what chemicals the dogs are identifying and then develop a more accurate electronic detection system, something the article calls an "electronic nose."