Can Dogs Sniff Breast Cancer? Studies Say YES!

They snuggle with you, shower you with their wet nose kisses, lift your spirits when you are feeling down, and love you unconditionally. No wonder dogs are considered man’s best friend! If you thought there were no more possible ways to prove that they are the superior species, here’s a bit of news that will blow your mind – they just might save your life!

Linda Munkley from Wales made headlines in 2020 when she claimed that her dog detected her breast cancer even before the appearance of any lump. Her German shepherd kept sniffing and headbutting her chest area for 2 months before she felt a lump in one of her breasts. Thankfully, she could get timely treatment and make a full recovery (1).

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide (2). Recent studies have shown that dogs may be able to detect breast cancer just by sniffing a person. Keep reading to find out more.

What Does Research Say About Dogs Sniffing Out Breast Cancer?

Cancer cells emit certain odor signatures that can be detected in a person’s urine, breath, skin, sweat, and feces. Since dogs have extremely sensitive noses, they can smell these odor signatures. When they are given the appropriate training, they can also alert someone to the presence of cancer in their body. Such dogs are referred to as medical detection dogs.

Dogs can detect several types of cancers this way, including breast cancer. A research study conducted in Japan used the urine samples of 40 patients with breast cancer along with those of 142 patients with non-breast malignant diseases and 18 healthy volunteers. The trained dog in this study was able to identify all 40 samples of breast cancer with 100% accuracy (2).

Another study was conducted in France where dogs were able to detect breast cancer in skin secretion samples with 90.3% accuracy (3).

Linda Munkley’s story shows that dogs can detect breast cancer in very early stages and help in early detection and treatment. Other studies have also found that dogs can detect early-stage cancer with just as much success as advanced cancer (4).

All of this research seems promising and suggests that dogs can be used to detect cancer in the most low-risk and non-invasive way. Moreover, it works as the basis for developing electronic noses, i.e., machines that can be used to detect the odor signatures emitted by various cancers.

How Do I Know My Dog Is Telling Me I Have Cancer?

Your dog may do many different things to alert you that you have cancer. Some of the behaviors they may exhibit include:

• Sniffing your body more than usual
• Sniffing the air around your mouth when you breathe or talk
• Tapping you with their paws continuously to get your attention
• Looking alert and tilting their head
• Lying down next to you more than usual
• Putting their head on your lap and looking up at you
• Whining
• Snuggling with you more than usual

Your dog may start doing these things to alert you that something is going wrong in your body.

The Bottom Line

Training dogs to sniff out breast cancer is a great non-invasive way to detect it in its early stages and get timely treatment. All the research that has been done in this area so far can also be used to develop easier and quicker ways to detect and diagnose various types of cancer. However, more research is needed to explore the possibility of using medical detection dogs to help diagnose and track cancer. Once again, dogs have proven that they are the best companion a human can ask for!

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Arshiya SyedaSenior Editor

 

Arshiya Syeda is a senior editor at StyleCraze with 7 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer and combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care. She holds a bachelor's degree in literature and psychology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post-graduate diploma in psychological...read full bio