Diagnosing Skin Cancer By Smell

[dropkickpa]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118898.php

Scientists in the US have found that skin cancer has a distinctive smell that can be detected by sensitive laboratory equipment and they hope the discovery opens the door to developing a new non-invasive way to diagnose basal cell carcinoma and other cancers of the skin using "odor profiles".

The research was led by scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The findings were presented on Tuesday 20 August at the 236th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.

Human skin, like other body organs, emits a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which have a smell.

Last month, one of the researchers, Dr Michelle Gallagher, who is now with Rohm and Haas, Spring House, Pennsylvania, and colleagues wrote a paper in the British Journal of Dermatology reporting the results of a study where they identified nearly 100 VOCs, some of which varied with age, from the upper back and forearm skin of 25 healthy male and female subjects aged from 19 to 79.

This could lead to the development of more early detection methods, catching these cancers before they are notably visible, and before they have a chance to spread.

[grannie4peace]

1. my ex-husband smelled my breast cancer on my breath 6 mos

before my diagnosis

[Jane Austin]

2. Wow. What was the odor he noticed?

Thanks.

[EC]

3. My cat has a tumor and it has a sulfur scent to it...

kinda like a burnt out match....or onions

[dropkickpa]

4. This can in part explain how cancer sniffing dogs work

We know that cancer alters a lot of things in the body, why not VOC's? Dog's sense of smell is so far and beyond ours, it's not surprising that they'd be able to detect this sort of change. I'd like to see more research on VOC's in other forms of cancer, find out which forms make noticable changes and whether detection/evaluation methods be developed.

[izquierdista]

5. Calling Dr. Basset

Having owned a Basset Hound, I know they perceive the world differently than we do. Pity that they cannot communicate what their nose tells them to us humans.

[dropkickpa]

6. I had a dog who lived by the nose first

She'd ram into things when she was tracking a scent, only then noticing the fencepost/tree/wall.

[psychmommy]

7. sounds promising, thanks.

[mzmolly]

8. Dogs have been known

to sniff out cancer.

[Tumbulu]

9. In Temple Grandin's book "Animals in Translation"

she discusses these dogs quite a bit. It makes sense.

Also, my friends father was and MD and a researcher (one of his projects was the development of amniocentesis). He told her that in the 30's they were taught In Medical School how to diagnose many illnesses by smell. I guess this all got dumped for the higher tech gadgets and perhaps the varying senses of smell people made it difficult to teach, but there was knowledge about the relationship between some odors and some illnesses taught in medical schools then.

[Hannah Bell]

10. that is very interesting. i wonder where you'd get info on it?

"how to diagnose many illnesses by smell. I guess this all got dumped for the higher tech gadgets and perhaps the varying senses of smell people made it difficult to teach, but there was knowledge about the relationship between some odors and some illnesses taught in medical schools then."

[Tumbulu]

13. Perhaps one could go to rest homes and visit with retired physicians

and see what they remember.....? And thus it could be documented by you. Or perhaps medical schools have some sort of record of when these subjects were taught. Or perhaps there are histories of subjects taught at medical schools.

[LeftishBrit]

11. Very interesting

I know that diabetes and certain kidney disorders can result in characteristic odours that an experienced person might detect; but hadn't realized that this could also include other disorders like skin cancer.

Maybe one day sniffer dogs will be employed by doctors as well as police!

[dropkickpa]

12. Video story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1_IZd5HZ3g

[Tumbulu]

14. thanks for posting this. nt