When it comes to early detection of cancer, there is nothing more effective than a well-trained canine nose. Though impressive in its own right, canine olfaction is far from perfect – that’s where insects come in.

Recent research has revealed that certain insects are capable of detecting the smell of cancerous cells, and in some cases, are even more effective than well-trained canines.

The science behind cancer detection by insects

It has long been known that insects rely heavily on their sense of smell to identify food, mates, and danger – but recently, researchers have found that some species of insects are able to detect the volatile chemicals released by cancerous cells as well. Additionally, insects have an incredible sense of smell as they can detect odors in parts per trillion.

One such species is the desert locust. Researchers have discovered that these insects can sniff out ovarian cancer from the urine of patients with a success rate of 90%.

This is an impressive feat, considering that current medical screening tests for ovarian cancer only have a success rate of about 20-30%, even with ultrasound and other diagnostic methods.

The key to the locust’s detection success lies in their antennae – specifically, in a set of specialized olfactory hairs called sensilla.

These sensilla respond to specific volatile organic compounds, which are emitted by the cancerous cells, allowing the locust to differentiate between healthy and cancerous samples.

Other insects that can detect cancer

The desert locust isn’t the only insect that can detect cancer. In fact, a wide range of insects – from fruit flies to honeybees – have been found to have the capacity to sense cancerous cells. Consider the following:.

Fruit Flies

Fruit flies have been found to be effective at identifying colorectal cancer. Researchers trained the flies to distinguish between healthy cells and cancerous cells, and the insects were able to detect the presence of colon cancer with 96% accuracy.

Honeybees

Honeybees have also been found to be an effective diagnostic tool. Researchers in Portugal trained bees to detect olfactory cues in the breath of cancer patients, and the bees were able to identify lung cancer with a success rate of around 98%.

Mosquitoes

In 2014, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found that mosquitoes could be trained to detect the presence of malaria parasites in a person’s blood.

The researchers noted that these findings could eventually be applied to the detection of cancer as well, as the same volatile organic compounds that mosquitoes search for in the blood of malaria patients are also present in the breath of cancer patients.

Why insects might be better than canines at detection

Insects might not have the same prestige as canines when it comes to locating hidden items with their noses, but they have several advantages in the realm of cancer detection. First and foremost, insects are much easier to train than dogs.

While training a canine to detect cancer can take months or even years, many insects can be trained in a matter of days or weeks.

In addition, insects are not subject to many of the distractions and biases that canines can be prone to.

For example, dogs may have a tendency to respond more readily to human cues than to the actual scent of a cancerous cell – a phenomenon known as “handler bias”. This could lead to false positives or false negatives in cancer detection. Since insects are not subject to these biases, they may be more reliable than canines in certain situations.

The future of insect-based cancer detection

The discovery that insects can detect cancer is a promising one. With continued research, these insects may one day be used as a reliable and cost-effective method for cancer diagnosis.

One advantage of using insects for cancer detection is that it is non-invasive, and thus, doesn’t carry any risks associated with more invasive diagnostic methods like biopsies or imaging scans. However, more research is needed in order to develop this method of diagnosis further, particularly in relation to developing a standard protocol for training and using these insects in a clinical setting.

Conclusion

The ability of certain insects to detect cancer is an exciting discovery. With a success rate of up to 98%, many insects are proving to be even more effective than canines in detecting cancerous cells.

Though more research is needed to perfect this method of detection and to develop standardized training programs for insects used in clinical settings, the potential is huge. In the future, insects may become a reliable and non-invasive way to detect cancer, saving countless lives in the process.