Cross detection for odor of metabolic waste between breast and colorectal cancer using canine olfaction

• Published in: PloS one 2018-02, Vol.13 (2), p.e0192629-e0192629
• Main Authors: Seo, In-Seok, Lee, Hwan-Gon, Koo, Bonkon, Koh, Chin Su, Park, Hae-Yong, Im, Changkyun, Shin, Hyung-Cheul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cell culture; Cell metabolism; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Cultivation; Diagnosis; Dogs; Humidity; Hypotheses; In vivo methods and tests; Lung cancer; Medical diagnosis; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Observations; Odor; Odors; Olfaction; Ovarian cancer; Physiological aspects; Prostate cancer; Research methods; Smell; Social Sciences; Studies; Training; Urine
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192629

Although several studies have been performed to detect cancer using canine olfaction, none have investigated whether canine olfaction trained to the specific odor of one cancer is able to detect odor related to other unfamiliar cancers. To resolve this issue, we employed breast and colorectal cancer in vitro, and investigated whether trained dogs to odor related to metabolic waste from breast cancer are able to detect it from colorectal cancer, and vice versa. The culture liquid samples used in the cultivation of cancerous cells (4T1 and CT26) were employed as an experimental group. Two different breeds of dogs were trained for the different cancer odor each other. The dogs were then tested using a double-blind method and cross-test to determine whether they could correctly detect the experimental group, which contains the specific odor for metabolic waste of familiar or unfamiliar cancer. For two cancers, both dogs regardless of whether training or non-training showed that accuracy was over 90%, and sensitivity and specificity were over 0.9, respectively. Through these results, it was verified that the superior olfactory ability of dogs can discriminate odor for metabolic waste of cancer cells from it of benign cells, and that the specific odor for metabolic waste of breast cancer has not significant differences to it of colorectal cancer. That is, it testifies that metabolic waste between breast and colorectal cancer have the common specific odor in vitro. Accordingly, a trained dogs for detecting odor for metabolic waste of breast cancer can perceive it of colorectal cancer, and vice versa. In order to the future work, we will plan in vivo experiment for the two cancers and suggest research as to what kind of cancers have the common specific odor. Furthermore, the relationship between breast and colorectal cancer should be investigated using other research methods.