KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dogs are becoming an increasingly important tool in healthcare because of their sense of smell. For decades, dogs have been used to sniff out narcotics.
But researchers have learned that dogs also seem to be able to detect cancer because of that same smell, and dogs can distinguish chemical differences that linger in the breath of a person with cancer.
This is not as specific as many more sophisticated tests, but research dollars are being spent to see creative ways that dogs may be of help.
