Detection of cancer by worms and urine

Japanese scientists introduced a method to detect cancer by using round worms to sense the patient's urine smell.

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Nematodes help detect cancer

Nematode worms, living in soil or water, can be " attracted " to the urine of a cancer patient and avoid the urine of healthy people . The test results of 242 urine samples showed their sensitivity to 95.8%, higher than the accuracy of diagnosis with blood samples.

Experimental form uses round worms with a length of about 1 mm.(Artwork: Japantimes)

The Kyushu University team said the method was painless, costing from 100 yen (0.8 USD) to several hundred yen each time and giving results after 90 minutes. The researchers say this method helps identify cancer at an early stage, which cannot be detected by routine testing, and encourages patients to treat it early.

" When you give a urine sample to check, you can find out if you have cancer. This will help you save money, " Japan Times said on Tuesday.

Previous tests have shown that some animals such as dogs or mice can also help detect cancer. However, identifying odors in clinical trials is not easy, because the accuracy depends on the concentration of the dog.

Currently, the test cannot determine the type of cancer of the patient, but the team has raised the type of worms that react to the disease . They plan to develop a scanning device and hope to put it into practice by 2019.