Worms are helping screen dogs for cancer by sniffing their urine. Could this new screening method help catch dog cancer early?
A company in Raleigh, North Carolina, is using worms to sniff dog urine for cancer metabolites. It’s a simple, non-invasive, relatively inexpensive way to screen for cancer. Could this test catch cancer early enough to make a dent in the number of dogs who succumb to their #1 killer?
Six to ten million dogs are diagnosed with cancer every year in the U.S. alone, and veterinarians think half of those cases could be treated and cured if caught early. But our canine companions are naturally stoic, so we don’t often get it early enough. If early detection methods were available and less expensive, it would help us catch cancer earlier. And that might save millions of dogs every year from their deadliest illness.
Imaging tests like ultrasound, x-ray, and MRI are expensive and invasive. Few dog lovers can afford to engage them routinely once a dog hits their senior years at age seven.
Oncotect’s promise is that their urine test, which costs much less and involves a simple urine catch, will help find dog cancer early. Once they receive the urine in their lab, the company uses C. elegans nematodes, tiny little worms, to “sniff” the urine. Their behavior helps discern whether cancer by-products are present in the urine sample.
We are joined today by Oncotect CEO and founder, Chan Namgong. Also, Dr. Page Wages, a Raleigh-area veterinarian who has been using Oncotect for years with hundreds of patients and says this urine test has changed the way she screens for cancer.
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Related Videos:
Early signs of cancer you should pay attention to from veterinary oncologist Dr. David Vail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBuIqGadKbQ
A blood test for dog cancer, OncoK9 with Dr. Andi Flory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ahExyrbs8U
Someday poop might be used as a screening tool and/or diagnostic for dog cancer, too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDkV5oKS0vw
Related Links:
Oncotect website: https://oncotect.co/
Chapters:
00:00 START
00:03 Introduction
01:21 What are C. Elegans
02:40 Using C. Elegans To Detect Cancer?
04:55 Conversation with Dr. Page Wages
09:29 False Positives Using Oncotect?
14:18 The Most Bizarre Dog Cancer Oncotect Found
15:02 How Often Dr. Wages Uses Oncotect
21:23 Conversation with Chan Namgong, CEO and Founder of Oncotect
21:44 How Worms Can Be Used to Detect Dog Cancer
24:11 Oncotect Reliability
26:01 Degree of Effectiveness
28:12 All About Nematodes
31:44 What’s on the Report
34:41 How Much Oncotect Costs
43:48 How To Get Oncotect
48:00 What Other Veterinarians Have Told Us
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Get to know Dr. Page Wages: https://www.dogcancer.com/people/page-wages-dvm/
Get to know Oncotect CEO and founder Chan Namgong: https://www.dogcancer.com/people/chan-namgong/
For more details, articles, podcast episodes, and quality education, go to the episode page: https://www.dogcancer.com/podcast/
