A prospective trial for breast cancer diagnosis by canine odorology

Anne Tardivon, Benoit Mesurolle, Sylvain Dureau, Edouard Poncelet, François Dravet, Adriana Langer, Marie-Rose El Bejjani, Séverine Alran, Elise Deluche, Alexia Savignoni, Amir Kadi, Pierre Bauër, Caroline Gilbert, Michelle Leemans () and Isabelle Fromantin
Additional contact information
Anne Tardivon: 26 rue d’Ul, Department of Radiology, Curie Institute, PSL University
Benoit Mesurolle: BP 304, Department of Radiology, Elsan, Centre République, 99 avenue de la République
Sylvain Dureau: Curie Institute, Biometrics unit
Edouard Poncelet: Hospital of Valenciennes, Department of Radiology
François Dravet: Bd Professeur Jacques Monod, Department of Surgery, René – Gauducheau Institute, Site Hospitalier Nord
Adriana Langer: 26 rue d’Ul, Department of Radiology, Curie Institute, PSL University
Marie-Rose El Bejjani: 185 Rue Raymond Losserand, Department of Radiology, Saint- Joseph Hospital
Séverine Alran: Paris Saint Joseph Hospital, Breast and Gynecology Surgery department
Elise Deluche: 2 avenue Martin Luther King, Department of Medical Oncology, Dupuytren Hospital
Alexia Savignoni: Curie Institute, Biometrics unit
Amir Kadi: Curie Institute, Biometrics unit
Pierre Bauër: 26 Rue d’Ulm, Wound Care and Research Unit 26, Curie Institute
Caroline Gilbert: 7 avenue du Général de Gaulle, Ecole nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort, Ethologie
Michelle Leemans: Paris-Est University, Clinical Epidemiology and Ageing Unit, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM
Isabelle Fromantin: 26 Rue d’Ulm, Wound Care and Research Unit 26, Curie Institute

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Breast cancer (BC) is a major health concern affecting millions of women worldwide. This study (NCT04217109) explores canine odorology as a method for identifying BC using patient sweat samples. To collect the sweat samples, the night before biopsies, a compress is applied to the affected breast and the sample is subsequently presented to two trained dogs during the training or testing sessions. A positive cancer detection is indicated if a dog halts in front of the compress. A total of 181 patients participate, 107 with breast cancer (82 invasive and 25 in situ) and 74 with benign lesions. Sensitivity (Se) is 68% and specificity (Sp) 27% for a single randomly selected dog. When at least one dog marks a sample, Se rises to 80.4% but Sp drops to 21.6%. If both dogs mark it, Se is 48.6% and Sp 45.9%. Results show limited ability to distinguish benign from malignant lesions. Dogs perform best with mixed samples but struggle when all are negative, with variable responses between dogs. Identifying BC-specific volatile compounds may improve accuracy.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65655-6

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