It 's the second most common cancer for men worldwide , but prostate cancer remains difficult to diagnose , with standard blood tests criticized for delivering a high rate of false positives . But in a study presented in May this year , trained detection dogs were able to identify prostate cancer from a few sniffs of a urine sample with a staggering 98 % accuracy , with few false positives . Although the study is by no means conclusive , it joins a growing body of research suggesting dogs could be able to smell out cancers . However , there are numerous practical problems in using dogs to detect cancers in a medical setting ( not least training , consistency and identifying exactly which chemicals the dogs are detecting ) , which is why scientists are seeking to harness the potential detection ability of man 's best friend through the development of an `` electronic nose '' capable of making a diagnosis . 'Easily sniffed ' Finnish researchers are using a device that conducts molecular analysis of the atmosphere in the `` headspace '' above urine samples , and tests it for the volatile organic compounds associated with prostate cancer . In a study published earlier this year , the method had a detection rate of 78 % , and a specificity ( the probability of the test being negative when cancer is absent ) of 67 % . `` We see molecules at the stages when the tumor is very small , '' said lead investigator Dr. Niku Oksala , of the University of Tampere . `` We can also find whether it is aggressive or benign to know what action is needed . '' Oksala 's team is continuing to refine the method , such as through removing impurities for cleaner sample analysis , but he believes the principle is reliable and can be applied to many other cancers . `` We have found there are over 30 molecule compounds in a tumor that are very smelly and easily sniffed . Eventually this can be used as a test for every cancer in the Western world , '' he added . Around the world , similar approaches are being applied to offer simple diagnosis for the world 's greatest killers . In 2011 , the Gates Foundation announced funding for a battery-operated electronic nose prototype in India that functions as a breathalyzer test for tuberculosis . The `` NaNose '' is being developed by the Israeli Technion Institute , claiming 90 % accuracy in detecting lung cancer from a breath test , and providing enough information to distinguish between subtypes of the disease . New generation . Electronic noses are not a new concept . Medical sensors first emerged in the 1980s , but were unable to deliver reliable diagnoses . But in this new generation of devices , experts believe the field has matured . `` The idea been around for over 20 years with many companies making e-noses they thought would be useful for diagnosing diseases , but they were way oversold and that destroyed the idea for a time , '' says Dr. Gary Beauchamp , director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Pennsylvania . `` While the devices today do n't come close to mimicking the nose of a dog , I 'm confident that they will help to recognize diseases based on body odors . '' Cancerous material can be found easily enough , says Beauchamp , but decoding the mass of combinations that form smells remains a difficulty . `` Odors are a mixture of compounds and that requires pattern recognition . A dog recognizes an individual person through thousands of odors at one time , so you need a device that gives you the same information , and that is the challenge for the next generation . '' In the short-term , Beauchamp believes that odor recognition could be used in conjunction with other tests , particularly as a means of non-invasive , early detection that could be followed up if necessary . `` They could become part of a routine examination in much the same way as blood tests ... that seems to me a likely scenario . '' There are fears that making diagnosis too widely available could take serious decisions out of the hands of experts , and that unreliable tools could proliferate . But similar techniques are already established outside of medicine , for a range of applications from testing for dangerous chemicals to quality control in food manufacturing . Companies are already moving toward consumer healthcare applications for the electronic nose . British start-up Owlstone is working on a mobile breath-testing system that would give users instant analysis of their breath , offering early detection of conditions such as diabetes , TB or cancers . NASA technology is also being researched as a mobile sensor for lung cancer . As molecular analysis becomes cheaper and more reliable the applications are rapidly expanding .
Scientists developing `` electronic noses '' to detect diseases . Finnish researchers report success in detecting prostate cancer . Others are trying to detect TB and lung cancer by analyzing smell .