Dogs Can Smell Thyroid Cancer; Researchers Want To Use Dogs As Early Diagnostic Test

Arkansas researchers have found out that dogs can smell thyroid cancer, making them a potential detector for the disease. The researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences studied a German shepherd named "Frankie." The study's results indicated that the dog can smell thyroid cancer after it correctly sniffed out 30 out of the 34 patients that had the disease, translating to an 88 percent success rate for Frankie, according to the NY Daily News. The researchers said that the dog had an exceptional nose for sniffing out cancer. Previously, the team of Arkansas researchers have already proved that a dog can be trained to sniff out the difference, no matter how miniscule, in urine samples from patients that do not have thyroid cancer or those who do. The recent study makes it possible for a thyroid cancer diagnostic test using a dog's nose. The Arkansas team trained the animal to turn away if the urine sample given was clean, and to lie down if it can smell the cancer. The researchers said that dogs that can smell cancer could be utilized by doctors to detect thyroid cancer at its earlier stages to avoid the need for diagnostic procedures that require surgery such as fine-needle biopsy-the current method used for detecting the cancer. They also said that the trained dogs can prevent unwarranted surgeries. The study was based on the well-established fact that dogs can smell out stashed illegal drugs using their unique noses, the International Business Times reported. The Arkansas team of researchers presented their findings at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. Their study that dogs can smell out thyroid cancer has been published in the EurekAlert science journal.