Dogs set to sniff out prostate cancer

Dogs will be used to sniff out prostate cancer in a new trial by the University of Otago and a charitable trust that trains dogs to detect diseases. The dogs will be trained by K9 Medical Detection NZ to use their powerful sense of smell to detect cancer cells in urine samples.

If the trial is successful, using dogs to test for disease will be a very welcome and immediately applicable addition to the diagnostic toolkit, according to Otago university’s pathology department head Sarah Young. A non-invasive test ‘which can be used at a much earlier stage will hopefully see an increase in patient uptake and improved health outcomes for the country,’ Professor Young says.