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Doctors Working To Sniff Out Skin Cancer

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Aug 22, 2008 6:37 pm US/Eastern

Doctors Working To Sniff Out Skin Cancer

Study Found Skin Cancer Has A Distinctive Smell

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Like any disease, the key to beating skin cancer is early detection. Right now diagnosing it can be difficult, but a group of researchers believe they have found a faster and more accurate way by sniffing out the disease.

The experimental test looks and sounds strange but researchers say it can smell skin cancer.

"Skin is the largest organ in the body, so it emits several chemicals from the skin surface," said Dr. Michelle Gallagher from The Monell Center.

Chemists at the Monell Center in Philadephia say skin cancer gives off a specific odor profile. Humans can't smell it but research has shown dogs can sniff out the disease. With this in mind, scientists developed a computer program to detect differences in skin odor.

In a new study they took air samples from people with and without skin cancer and found the machine could accurately diagnose the disease.

"The fact that we were able to see statistically significant differences in certain chemicals and say yes these are biomarkers related to skin cancer is really, really exciting to us," said Dr. Gallagher.

Currently, in order to detect skin cancer, we first have to see a suspicious spot or mole on the skin. The skin is biopsied or removed and sent to a lab to find out if it's cancerous. But this new test could dramatically speed up the process.

"It would give anyone who actually does have melanoma a leg up on actually beating the disease," said Leslie Stein, who works at Monell and has battled skin cancer and welcomes faster detection.

Scientists are now trying to develop a device that can be used in hospitals everywhere.

"You could just go to the doctor's office and have a sensor or you could imagine a wand pass over your skin surface and beep or make an alarm when the skin cancer is detected," said Dr. Gallagher.

If all goes well, the test could be available in a few years.

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