Frequently Asked Questions

CancerWatch analyses your breath profile, helping your doctor understand your cancer risk. The Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in your breath can be an indicator of your cancer risk, and CancerWatch analyses those VOCs with the help of trained detection dogs and a model that interprets what the dogs indicate alongside your health history.

We collect your sample at the address you share with us when you book. You breathe normally into a surgical mask for 10 minutes, with nothing going inside your body. The mask is then sealed in a protective bag and kept cold until it reaches our lab in Bengaluru.

Please avoid smoking for at least an hour before your collection, and avoid strong-smelling food for 30 minutes before. Diet, medication and recent illness can all influence the VOCs in your breath, so answer our health questions as fully as you can. If anything changes before your collection, such as falling ill, let us know and we'll help you reschedule.

Each sample is presented to at least three trained detection dogs, independently and in a randomised line-up, so that the people running the session don't know whose sample is whose. Our model starts from your health history, including your family history, medical history and other risk factors. Each dog's indication then raises or lowers that starting estimate to give your Breath VOC score.

CancerWatch has been validated in a peer-reviewed Phase II study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, which reported 90.8% sensitivity and 91.3% specificity in a peer-reviewed study of multicancer detection from breath samples of 3,275 participants. Those figures come from the study's testing group of 1,502 people, which included 283 people with biopsy-confirmed cancer and 1,219 people without cancer.

Sensitivity is how often a test correctly identifies people who have cancer. In our study, CancerWatch identified 257 of the 283 people with cancer, roughly 9 in 10. Specificity is how often a test correctly identifies people who don't have cancer: 1,113 of the 1,219 people without cancer were correctly identified. A good test needs both, because one tells you how much it catches and the other how often it raises a concern unnecessarily.

Yes, as with any test. In our study, 106 of the 1,219 people without cancer received a score that suggested further evaluation, and 26 of the 283 people with cancer were missed. The study also included far more people with cancer than you'd find in the general population, so in everyday use a larger share of scores suggesting further evaluation will end up as a false positive upon follow-up. Our consulting doctor will take this into account when they walk you through your report.

In our study, sensitivity was 90.6% for early-stage (Stage I and II) cancers, much the same as for later stages. Everyone with cancer in the study had not yet started treatment, which reflects how the test is meant to be used: as an early step in understanding your risk.

Your report gives you a Breath VOC score, which reflects the VOCs in your breath at the time your sample was collected. You'll receive it during a consultation with one of our consulting doctors, who'll explain what your score means for you and whether any next steps are worth considering. You're always welcome to discuss it with a doctor of your choice as well.

CancerWatch cannot tell you whether you have cancer. Only follow-up tests such as imaging or a biopsy can confirm that, which is why CancerWatch sits alongside your regular check-ups and the screening tests your doctor recommends.

Based on your Breath VOC score, your doctor may recommend further evaluation. If our consulting doctors recommend follow-up imaging or diagnostics, we'll pay for it at one of our partner centres, and you're free to decline. Since each score reflects a single point in time, we recommend repeating the test every 12 months, or sooner if your doctor advises it.

Email care@dognosis.tech and our team will reply within 24 hours. If you have a medical emergency, please go to your nearest hospital or call 112.