Researchers in Japan have developed a cancer screening process that uses nematodes and their ability to sniff out cancer-specific odors from patients’ urine samples.

The new method only requires a drop of urine, according to a paper published online in the journal Plos One Wednesday by a team including Kyushu University Assistant Professor Takaaki Hirotsu. The group has learned that nematodes, also known as roundworms, are attracted to urine from cancer patients while they shy away from noncancer samples.

For...