2007-08: Project Seven
Can dogs’ noses detect canine bladder cancer?
Drs. Elisabeth Snead, Sue Taylor, Monique Mayer and Joe Stookey (WCVM); and Dr. Jim Walker (University of Florida).
A definitive diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in dogs requires histopathological examination of tissues obtained by surgical biopsy or traumatic catheterization. But usually, clinicians only perform these tests in dogs that show significant clinical signs — an indicator of advanced disease.
Previously, researchers successfully trained dogs to sniff out the difference between urine samples from people with TCC, healthy people and people with other inflammatory but non-malignant disorders of the urogenital tract. In this study, the WCVM research team will evaluate and compare the sensitivity and specificity of canine olfactory detection of TCC to traditional diagnostic methods. If the results are promising, this may be one option that could help veterinarians make earlier diagnoses of TCC and achieve greater treatment success.
To learn more about the unknown marker that’s detected by the “sniffer dogs” in the urine of TCC patients, researchers will also save urine samples from TCC and control dogs so animals trained in detecting human TCC cases can evaluate the samples. These findings, along with chemical analysis, may allow researchers to understand whether dogs and people diagnosed with TCC secrete the same substance — information that could potentially lead to future research.
