"She kept rubbing my chest with her nose" — woman in her 30s discovers breast cancer early thanks to dog's odd behavior

According to The Financial News, a story is drawing attention about a woman who went to the hospital after noticing her dog's unusual behavior, discovered cancer at an early stage, and ultimately saved her life.
According to the New York Post and other outlets on the 21st (local time), the woman is 36-year-old Chase Johnson, who lives in California in the United States.
In 2021, her dog Ceto followed Johnson around for several weeks, whining constantly. One day, Ceto suddenly pressed her nose against Johnson's chest and began rubbing the area. Johnson felt pain at that moment, went to the hospital for an examination, and was diagnosed with stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
It was not the first time Ceto had detected cancer. When Johnson's husband Ben developed colon cancer, Ceto also appeared anxious and trailed after him everywhere, showing similar unusual behavior.
Johnson immediately underwent a partial mastectomy and lymph node removal, then began chemotherapy. The treatment was successful, and her specialist noted that "it could have been dangerous if she had not gone to the hospital in time." Johnson is currently reported to be participating in a clinical trial for a breast cancer vaccine.
Experts explain that dogs can detect changes in odor caused by disease, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by cancer cells. In general, dogs are believed to have a sense of smell 10,000 to 1,000,000 times more sensitive than that of humans, and there have been occasional reports of dogs detecting human cancers through scent.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter