The Irish Times – Tuesday, February 1, 2011

DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor

A DOG has been trained to detect colorectal cancer in patients. The Labrador Retriever is as accurate as the current best diagnostic methods and is even able to sniff out very early stage bowel cancer before clinical symptoms appear.

Researchers based in Japan trained the dog to identify patients with the disease using scent.

The dog achieved a 95 per cent accuracy when testing exhaled breaths from the subject and 98 per cent accuracy when testing a stool sample.

The eight-year-old female black Labrador was trained at the St Sugar Cancer Sniffing Dog Training Centre in Chiba, Japan.

Initially it was trained for water rescue but moved across to cancer detection dog training when a three-year-old.

Previous studies have indicated dogs can be excellent diagnosticians with early research and anecdotal evidence suggesting they can sniff out bladder, skin, lung, prostate, breast and ovarian cancers, the authors write in the journal, Gut.

“this study shows that a specific cancer scent does indeed exist and that cancer-specific chemical compounds may be circulating through the body. these odour materials may become effective tools in [colon cancer] screening.”

The use of scents to detect cancer was at a very early stage with just a small number of preliminary studies completed to date, said the Irish Cancer Society in a comment on the research.

“this area of research would require considerably more investigation in order to demonstrate potential in the detection of cancer,” a spokeswoman said.

In the Japanese study, the dog was trained to identify the scent associated with colon cancer and then underwent a series to tests to see whether she could identify the scent in test samples.

Five samples of either breath or stool were presented to the dog, only one of which was cancerous. she was able to choose correctly in 33 out of 36 breath tests and 37 out of 38 stool tests.

Importantly, her highest detection rates were among those samples taken from people with early stage disease, according to the authors.

This means it may be possible to develop tests to pick up the disease early, before it has had a chance to spread.

However, the researchers believe it is too impractical and expensive to use dogs to screen cancer patients.

The research does show there is a compound present that gives an early warning of colon cancer and if isolated, it could be used in a new kind of test.

If you are concerned about or affected by cancer, please call the National Cancer Helpline on Freefone 1800 200 700.

The Irish Times – Monday, January 10, 2011

EITHNE DONNELLAN, Health Correspondent

FAMILY DOCTORS will be advised this week to save remaining limited stocks of seasonal flu vaccine for two patient groups – pregnant women and at-risk children.

The advice, to be sent to all GPs by the Health Service Executive, will also say they should give leftover supplies of last year’s pandemic or swine flu vaccine to all other at-risk groups seeking vaccination which would include those over 65 years and adults with chronic heart, lung or kidney disease, as well as their carers.

GPs will each be sent about 500 doses of last year’s swine flu vaccine, known as Pandemrix, for use on those patients.

Doctors will also be advised that those at-risk patients who are given the Pandemrix vaccine should be recalled in a few weeks to get the seasonal flu vaccine when stocks are replenished as it provides protection against two other strains of flu currently in circulation in addition to swine flu. Pandemrix only protects against swine flu.

The HSE confirmed on Friday it had ordered an extra 100,000 doses of the seasonal flu vaccine.

Meanwhile parents have been urged not to send their children back to school today if they have symptoms of flu as they risk spreading it. Any student with flu should stay at home for seven days from when symptoms began.

The advice, issued by health officials through the Department of Education, also stresses the importance of regular hand washing, not sharing wind instruments or pencils, and covering the mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

Teachers have been advised to keep an eye out for students with symptoms of flu and arrange for them to go home as soon as possible. Symptoms of flu, which has a sudden onset, include a temperature of over 38 degrees and some of the following: dry cough, sore throat, muscle aches and pains, headache, runny nose, severe weakness and fatigue, and vomiting/diarrhoea.

Most people infected have a mild to moderate illness, but some have more severe illness.

In the past week rates of infection with swine flu have doubled and are expected to continue increasing for the next two to four weeks before levelling off.

There are 26 patients being treated for flu in intensive care units at present.

About 89 per cent of flu cases this season are swine flu, and about 11 per cent are caused by influenza B, which is milder.

Some 50 deaths from flu have been reported in the UK so far this season. a further 13 have been reported in the North. There have been no confirmed deaths from flu in the Republic to date this season.

Dr Mel Bates, spokesman for the Irish College of General Practitioners, said he had heard isolated reports of a lack of flu vaccine but he did not think it had been a major issue. He said his practice had a surge of pregnant women looking for the vaccine after an outbreak of swine flu at the Rotunda hospital before Christmas.

Some GP surgeries in the UK had to turn away people looking for flu vaccines in the past week after supplies ran out.

All those in at-risk groups are urged to get vaccinated.