World Lung Day this year has proceeded the release of intriguing new research about dogs and their ability to identify lung cancer in breath samples.
On Sept. 8, a group of investigators in New Zealand determined that man’s best friend is capable of detecting the disease with 78 per cent mean accuracy. They used seven specially trained dogs for their study.
As dogs have a highly attuned sense of smell, it is unsurprising that they were much better at identifying lung cancer in breath samples than saliva samples. The canines could only detect the lung disease with 42 per cent mean accuracy in spit during the assessment.
Breath samples were provided by participants recruited by the Waikato Hospital’s respiratory clinic in the city of Hamilton. A total of 154 samples were examined in the analysis, 48 of whom were smokers. Following the dogs’ analyzing them, 41 people were diagnosed with lung cancer.
The investigators used two labradors, a beagle, an English Springer Spaniel and a few crossbred hounds.
“Based on these results, breath samples may be a better choice for training dogs to detect lung cancer [than saliva], and potentially for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis using machines,” the authors concluded.
Their study was published in the European Respiratory Society’s peer-reviewed journal ERJ Open Research.
Despite the animals’ high rate of accuracy for pinpointing lung cancer in breath, certain medtech companies are still surpassing their capabilities with VOC analysis machines as discussed.
The American company Breath Diagnostics has developed a lung cancer breath test that has proven to be much more accurate. This medtech developer’s OneBreath system has demonstrated 94 per cent sensitivity and 85 per cent specificity in clinical trials with over 800 patients.
World Lung Day has been celebrated on Sept. 25 since 2018. The Forum of International Respiratory Societies initially promoted the celebration to spread awareness about respiratory diseases while advocating for prevention and superior care.
“This World Lung Day, we reaffirm our commitment to innovation in respiratory health,” said Breath Diagnostics in a social media post. “Because every lung deserves the chance to breathe freely.”
Read more: Breath Diagnostics leaders promote their mission at Miami investment conference
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