This site requires Javascript to function properly - please enable Javascript in your browser

Doctor proves that dogs can sniff out cancer cells

community » Discussions » Category » Pets & Animals » Discussion » Doctor proves that dogs can sniff out cancer cells

Category: Pets & Animals

Via: the-irascible-harry-krishner • 11 years ago • 10 comments

Doctor proves that dogs can sniff out cancer cells

Dr. Yoel and one of his cancer-sniffing friends. Photo by Dani Machlis/Ben Gurion University

Dr. Uri Yoel talks about his recent research, and the village for adults with special needs where he and his wife are raising their five kids:

If dogs can sniff out explosives and narcotics, could they also be trained to detect cancer?

Israeli internist Dr. Uri Yoel, 43, has demonstrated that dogs are indeed capable of differentiating between the scent of cancer cells and non-cancerous cells.

Our research proves that dogs can smell cancer cells in vitro [in lab cultures], and that different types of cancer share the same smell print, says Yoel, who practices at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva and teaches at Ben-Gurion University of the Negevs Faculty of Health Sciences.

(Link)

Tags

[]

Professor Expert

seeder Krishna 11 years ago

In 2002, he and his wife, Michal, moved with their two toddlers to Kfar Rafael , a Negev community where adults with special needs live together with foster families. The community sees to the well-being and development of these villagers within an integrative social environment.

Today, 120 people live at Kfar Rafael: 52 villagers ages 21 to 75, 11 foster parents with 19 children, and 27 young volunteers. Michal works with villagers in Kfar Rafaels weavery.

Being around people with special needs is second nature to the Yoel kids, aged 14, 12, 10, 7 and 3. Their father believes it brings out the softer side of their personalities.

For those born here, the setting is completely natural. Until age 10, my [older] children didnt know the word mentally retarded. They just knew that some people need extra help, Yoel tells ISRAEL21c. We didnt have to talk with them about it. Its their life.

His son knew a dog trainer and they were talking about what he could do for the community, so they looked for someone to help him, Yoel relates. In medicine, its hard to take a dream and take it to a practical, real-life level.

The volunteer trainers readied two dogs for the research, using positive reinforcement to reward identification of cancer cells by scent.

It was already known that can dogs can detect cancer with their noses. Their level of accuracy depends on their training. But Yoel wanted to find out whether the dogs are actually smelling the cancer cells or an odor from the bodys physiological reaction to those cells.

Professor Quiet

Larry Hampton 11 years ago

Very interesting!

The senses of the Canine Dog (as opposed to the Feline Dog) are well known, but this goes above and beyond!

:~)

Freshman Silent

US Citizen 11 years ago

This is a good line of research I think.

It's also nice to be able to interact with an animal instead of being scanned, folded, and mutilated (sense of well being) by some machine and a techie who can't talk about anything that they are seeing due to HIPAA laws.

Freshman Silent

JbBirder 11 years ago

This is great. Dogs are so sensitive to humans, not just in smelling/sensing cancer cells but so many other factors, too. I hope this helps many people.

On a different, but similar note, I just read the book, A Dog's Journey. It was so good and had some of this subject in it. I wish I would have read the first book, though, A Dog's Purpose.