Dogs can be trained to smell early signs of lung cancer on patients’ breath, German scientists stated Thursday.Researchers found that dogs trained to sniff out volatile organic compounds linked to the presence of cancer correctly identified 71% of those people with the disease and detected 93% of patients who didn’t have lung cancer.

The dogs also were able to distinguish between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is connected to smoking, and the patients with tumors, according to scientists at Schillerhohe Hospital in Stuttgart, southern Germany.

According to Dr. Thorsten Walles, the study’s lead author, in the breath of patients with lung cancer, there are likely to be various chemicals to normal breath samples, and the dogs’ keen sense of smell can detect this difference at an early stage of the disease.

Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, Walles added that their results confirm the presence of a stable marker for lung cancer. He also said this is a very positive step in the diagnosis of lung cancer.

However, Walles stated that the researchers still need to identify the compounds that the canines are able to detect in the exhaled breath of patients.

He said it is sad that dogs cannot convey the biochemistry of the scent of cancer. Lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer all over the world.

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