SAN DIEGO – Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock are teaching dogs to detect thyroid cancer from urine samples.
The dogs become alert on samples if they detect cancer, but remain passive if they don’t. The first graduate of the program, a German shepherd mix named Frankie, got it right in 30 of 34 cases, matching final surgical pathology results with a sensitivity of 86.6% and a specificity of 89.5%.
With results like those, it might not be too long before Frankie and his colleagues are providing inexpensive adjunct diagnostic services when test results are uncertain, and helping underserved areas with limited diagnostic capacity, the researchers noted.
At the Endocrine Society meeting, investigator Dr. Andrew Hinson shared clips of Frankie and another recent graduate, a border collie mix named Sophie, and explained the project’s next steps.
Frankie was rescued by principal investigator Dr. Arny Ferrando. Sophie and other dogs in the program were also rescued from local animal shelters.
More information is available at www.thefrankiefoundation.org.