A team of Japanese researchers has succeeded in detecting cancer from urine by using nematode worms that are attracted by the smell of cancer. The novel cancer screening method can quickly tell whether a subject has cancer just by examining a single drop of urine, the team said. The breath and urine of people with cancer have a unique smell. There have been attempts to establish a method to detect cancer using dogs. But as dogs are unable to process samples quickly, the commercialization of such a method is difficult.
The team, including Takaaki Hirotsu, associate professor at Kyushu University, decided to focus on nematode worms after seeing anisakis around cancer-affected stomach regions that had yet to be diagnosed. The Japanese researchers want to put (the method) into practical use within 10 years by making it more precise.
