近年有專家指出,狗隻天生的靈敏嗅覺,能偵測到人類有否患上癌症等惡疾,而英國亦成立了一個慈善團體Medical Detection Dogs,專門訓練狗狗嗅出人類患上頑疾的能力。

Hospital will use dogs to smell if you have cancer

不過,這個做法並未完全有科學根據,故一直未有被官方採用,但近日,英國緬頓凱因斯的醫院,發現狗狗透過聞懷疑病者的尿液,在偵測前列腺癌上的準確度,高達93%,另外,因為傳統的前列腺抗原測試準確度都較低,很多男人被錯誤驗出患病而要經歷痛苦的活組織切片檢驗,卻發現沒有染病,故院方同意採用狗狗加入參與化驗。

醫院泌尿科專家Mr Iqbal Anjum表示:「今次的研究令人興奮,多年來已有報告顯示狗能根據腫瘤的氣味而發現病人患癌症,腫瘤中較易揮發的分子,會被釋放到尿液當中,令狗仔可以聞到。」

全靠Daisy,主人才發現自己患上乳癌,並及早治療。

Undated handout photo issued by Medical Detection Dogs of a dog named Daisy who is set to take part in a prostate cancer trial, as dogs capable of sniffing out cancer have been approved for use in a trial by the NHS. Daisy made her owner Dr Claire Guest aware she was suffering from breast cancer in 2009. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Saturday August 8, 2015. Medical Detection Dogs, a charity which works with NHS Trusts and universities, has gained approval from Milton Keynes University Hospital for further trials, after an initial study showed specially-trained dogs can detect prostate cancer in urine in 93% of cases. See PA story HEALTH Dogs. Photo credit should read: Emma Jeffery/Medical Detection Dogs/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Medical Detection Dogs在2008年由醫生Claire Guest創辦,她當年患上乳癌,都是因她的愛狗Daisy突然經常戳其胸部,令她有懷疑,再檢查後發現。

來源: metro UK 英國《都市報》