Updated / Friday, 19 Feb 2021
10:55
Florin the Labrador was trained to detect prostate cancer in urine samples
A dog's nose could hold the key to detecting the most lethal type of prostate cancer, scientists have said.
Results from a study involving English charity Medical Detection Dogs could lead to the development of a more sensitive and specific prostate cancer diagnostic method beyond the blood test which is currently used, researchers said.
They hope the work can be replicated in a bigger study and eventually result in the production of a "robotic nose" perhaps in the form of a smartphone app.
Dr Claire Guest, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Medical Detection Dogs, said the publication of the study is "extremely exciting".