The Suitability of Sniff Dog as a Tool in Screening Tumors

The Suitability of Sniff Dog as a Tool in Screening Tumors-- a Prospective Observational Study

Previous studies have demonstrated that sniff dogs can identify cancer patients from healthy subjects through sniffing exhaled breath air or blood or serum or urine or feces. It is hypothesized that sniff dogs may be used as a tool in screening cancer patients in health examination. Trained dogs will sniff serum from participants who are attending the annual health examination to identify potential or high risk subjects, and the results will be compared with the outcome of the traditional health examination, and the high risk subjects will be followed periodically for at least five years.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Neoplasia

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 4000

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Chang-Qing Gao, MD PhD; Phone Number: 86 13974981039; Email: cgao851@126.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Ya-Qin Wang, MD PhD; Phone Number: 86 15274810930; Email: wdove.bb@163.com

Study Locations

• China
  • Hunan
    • Changsha, Hunan, China, 410013
      • Recruiting
      • The Third Xiang-Ya Hospital
      • Contact: Chang-Qing Gao, MD PhD; Phone Number: 86 139 7498 1039; Email: cgao851@126.com
      • Contact: Ya-Qin Wang, MD PhD; Phone Number: 152 7481 0930; Email: wdove.bb@163.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The Third Xiang-Ya Hospital staff members and their adult family members who wish to participate the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• old than 20 years
• currently without cancer diagnosed with pathological examination
• allow the study team to examine his/her case history and incoming record

Exclusion Criteria:

• cancer patients with pathological diagnosis
• who does not allow the study team to examine his/her case history and incoming record

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
faculty staff and their adult family members; faculties and their adult family members of the Third Xiang-Ya Hospital

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sensitivity and specificity in screening cancer patients	The results that obtained from the dogs will be compared with these of the pathological examinations. Sensitivity = the No. of patients identified by the dogs as cancers / the No. of patients suffering from cancer confirmed by pathological examination. Specificity = No. of subjects signaled by the dog as non-cancers / No. of subjects confirmed by pathological examination or the currently used methods as non-cancer subjects or at the end of the study, 5 years later still without cancer.	up to 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Behavior patterns of sniff dogs to different diseases	The behavior (lying before the tank for positive, neglecting the tanks) of the dog will be recorded and compared with the results of the pathological examination.	up to 5 years

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The substances used by the sniff dogs to identifying tumors	GCMS etc will be used to compare the volatile compounds between the sera from cancers patients and the from normal subjects, the suspected VOCs will be tested by the dog for conformation.	up to 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chang-Qing Gao
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Chang-Qing Gao, MD PhD, Central South University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ehmann R, Boedeker E, Friedrich U, Sagert J, Dippon J, Friedel G, Walles T. Canine scent detection in the diagnosis of lung cancer: revisiting a puzzling phenomenon. Eur Respir J. 2012 Mar;39(3):669-76. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00051711. Epub 2011 Aug 18.
• Willis CM, Church SM, Guest CM, Cook WA, McCarthy N, Bransbury AJ, Church MR, Church JC. Olfactory detection of human bladder cancer by dogs: proof of principle study. BMJ. 2004 Sep 25;329(7468):712. doi: 10.1136/bmj.329.7468.712.
• Church J, Williams H. Another sniffer dog for the clinic? Lancet. 2001 Sep 15;358(9285):930. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(01)06065-2. No abstract available.
• McCulloch M, Jezierski T, Broffman M, Hubbard A, Turner K, Janecki T. Diagnostic accuracy of canine scent detection in early- and late-stage lung and breast cancers. Integr Cancer Ther. 2006 Mar;5(1):30-9. doi: 10.1177/1534735405285096.
• Horvath G, Jarverud GA, Jarverud S, Horvath I. Human ovarian carcinomas detected by specific odor. Integr Cancer Ther. 2008 Jun;7(2):76-80. doi: 10.1177/1534735408319058. Epub 2008 May 27.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 25, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 28, 2014
• First Posted (Estimated): January 30, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 8, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: breast cancer; lung cancer
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: Xiang-Ya 0001