DOGS have been trained to sniff out cancer with up to 97 per cent accuracy — raising hopes of better testing.

The beagles also detected it up to 18 months before medical methods.

1 Beagles have been trained to sniff out cancer with up to 97 per cent accuracy, raising hopes of better testing Credit: BIOSCENTDX

Researchers hope to find the exact compounds that dogs smell, to design screening tests for those substances.

Study leader Heather Junqueira told the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Florida: “Early detection offers the best hope of survival.

“A highly sensitive test could save thousands of lives.”

Her team at US firm BioScentDx trained three beagles to detect signs of lung cancer in blood samples.

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The dogs identified it in 96.7 per cent of cases — and sniffed out cancer-free ­samples in 97.7pc of the time.

They were then trained to sniff out breast cancer. Bowel and prostate cancers are next.

BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS IF it's caught early, bowel cancer is very treatable, and has a good survival rate. Those diagnosed at stage one - the earliest stage - have a 97 per cent chance of surviving for five years or more. That plummets to just seven per cent if you're diagnosed at stage four, when the cancer has spread. A key to early diagnosis is knowing the signs to watch out for. The red-flag signs that mean you could have bowel cancer are: bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo

a persistant and unexplained change in your bowel habits

unexplained weight loss

extreme tiredness for no obvious reason

a pain or lump in your tummy Most people with these symptoms won't have bowel cancer, BUT if you have one or more of these signs it's vital to see your GP to get checked over. In some cases, a tumour in the bowel can cause an obstruction, blocking digestive waste from passing through the bowel. Symptoms of a bowel obstruction can include: intermittent, and occasionally severe, abdominal pain – this is always provoked by eating

– this is always provoked by eating unintentional weight loss – with persistent abdominal pain

– with persistent abdominal pain constant swelling of the tummy – with abdominal pain

– with abdominal pain vomiting – with constant abdominal swelling A bowel obstruction is a medical emergency. If you suspect your bowel is obstructed, you should see your GP quickly. If this isn't possible, go to A&E.

BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen reveals he has bowel cancer aged 59