A New Transcutaneous Method for Breast Cancer Detection with Dogs

We developed a new transcutaneous method for breast cancer detection with dogs: 2 dogs were trained to sniff skin secretion samples on compresses that had been worn overnight by women on their breast, and to recognize a breast cancer sample among 4 samples. During the test, the dogs recognized 90.3% of skin secretion breast cancer samples. This proof-of-concept study opens new avenues for the development of a reliable cancer diagnostic tool integrating olfactory abilities of dogs.