Early detection of lung cancer is vital to increasing the success rate of current treatment options. Current diagnostic methods, including chest radiographs and CT scanning, are expensive, unreliable, and potentially dangerous. Our proposed alternative was inspired by observing canines, and their ability to detect noncommunicable diseases quickly and accurately without harm to the patient. According to leading research Rainer Ehmann’s study on canine olfactory screening of lung cancer, “[Lung cancer] was identified with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 72%” (3). Training dogs for this purpose, however, is expensive and time-consuming.

McCullough, M., Turner, K., & Broffman, M. (2012). Lung cancer detection by canine scent: will there be a lab in the lab?. European Respiratory Journal, 39, 511-512. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00215511

Ehmann, R., Boedeker, E., Friedrich, U., Sagerta, J., Dippon, J., Friedel, G., & Walles, T. (2011). Canine scent detection in the diagnosis of lung cancer: Revisiting a puzzling phenomenon. European Respiratory Journal, 39, 669-676. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00051711