The Ability of Dogs to Detect Human Prostate Cancer Before and After Radical Prostatectomy

Evaluation: The ability of highly-trained dogs’ olfactory system to detect prostate cancer specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in men after undergoing radical prostatectomy and the eventual biochemical recurrence (BCR) was assessed. Materials and methods: One hundred-fourteen consecutivemen with clinical localized PCa undergoing radical prostatectomy between November 2011 and May 2013 were investigated. For each patient urine and serum samples were collected prior to radical prostatectomy, forty-five days and every six months during the successive follow-up (mean: 28 months; median: 28 months; range 1937 months). Two dogs were trained to sit when they detected PCa specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the urine samples. Results: Preoperatively, both dogs were able to detect PCa specific VOC’s in the urine samples of men with PCa with 100% accuracy. Forty-five days post-radical prostatectomy, 104 (91.2%) patients had a serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels 0.01 but 1 ng/ml. Forty-five days following surgery, neither dog detected prostate cancer specific VOC’s in the urine samples of the 104 men with a serum PSA level 0.01ng/ml and 1ng/ml (i.e. persistent disease). During the successive followup 9 of 110 patients (8.1%) had BCR. Both dogs were able to detect PCa VOC’s in the urine samples of 7 of these 9 patients (77.7%). Conclusions: Highlytrained dogs are able to detect BCR in men who have previously undergone radical prostatectomy alone for PCa. Our understanding of the use of the canine olfactory system in PCa detection continues to evolve.