Olfactory detection of human bladder cancer by dogs
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
EDITOR—Before the study by Willis et al there was only sparse, anecdotal evidence suggesting that dogs might truly be able to detect human malignancies.1 Their study complements a recent study in which dogs were trained to identify melanoma in tissue samples and were then tested for their ability to detect melanoma lesions on human subjects.2
In both investigations the dogs detected malignancies in supposed controls. These studies bolster the idea that dogs may someday prove useful in the early detection of cancer. Such experimental investigations are of great interest to me, as I had encountered a patient who claimed that her dog's incessant sniffing led to her finding of a breast mass that proved malignant. Owing to the lack of substantiating literature to back up her claim, most of her medical care team brushed this off as coincidence, particularly since the lesion was internal rather than cutaneous as in other anecdotal reports.
Professor Hywel Williams's well-known case of a melanoma being detected by the patient's dog is now supported by experimental evidence.3 Our unpublished case suggests that dogs, in rare situations, may also detect non-cutaneous malignancies. Work such as that by Willis et al should spur on further rigorous investigation into this intriguing area.
James S Welsh, associate professor of human oncology
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA welsh@humonc.wisc.edu
Competing interests: None declared.
References
Willis CM, Church SM, Guest CM, Cook WA, McCarthy N, Bransbury AJ, et al. Olfactory detection of human bladder cancer by dogs: proof of principle study . BMJ 2004;329: 712-5. (25 September.)
Pickel D, Manucy GP, Walker DB, Hall SB, Walker JC. Evidence for canine olfactory detection of melanoma. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2004;89: 107-16.
Williams H, Pembroke A. Sniffer dogs in the melanoma clinic? Lancet 1989;i: 734.
In both investigations the dogs detected malignancies in supposed controls. These studies bolster the idea that dogs may someday prove useful in the early detection of cancer. Such experimental investigations are of great interest to me, as I had encountered a patient who claimed that her dog's incessant sniffing led to her finding of a breast mass that proved malignant. Owing to the lack of substantiating literature to back up her claim, most of her medical care team brushed this off as coincidence, particularly since the lesion was internal rather than cutaneous as in other anecdotal reports.
Professor Hywel Williams's well-known case of a melanoma being detected by the patient's dog is now supported by experimental evidence.3 Our unpublished case suggests that dogs, in rare situations, may also detect non-cutaneous malignancies. Work such as that by Willis et al should spur on further rigorous investigation into this intriguing area.
James S Welsh, associate professor of human oncology
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53792, USA welsh@humonc.wisc.edu
Competing interests: None declared.
References
Willis CM, Church SM, Guest CM, Cook WA, McCarthy N, Bransbury AJ, et al. Olfactory detection of human bladder cancer by dogs: proof of principle study . BMJ 2004;329: 712-5. (25 September.)
Pickel D, Manucy GP, Walker DB, Hall SB, Walker JC. Evidence for canine olfactory detection of melanoma. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2004;89: 107-16.
Williams H, Pembroke A. Sniffer dogs in the melanoma clinic? Lancet 1989;i: 734.