These dog breeds have a higher likelihood of getting cancer, according to new research

Researchers have discovered which dog breeds are more likely to get cancer, and the results disprove the notion that large dogs have a higher risk of the disease.

Researchers have discovered which dog breeds are more likely to get cancer, and the results disprove the notion that the largest dogs have a higher risk of the disease.

It turns out that large -- but not the largest -- dog breeds generally have the highest cancer risk, according to the study, published Tuesday in Royal Society Open Science told ABC News.

The researchers sought to understand how cancer starts, how it is initiated, and well as ask specific questions about how that inception is related to dog breeds, Leonard Nunney, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Riverside and lead author of the paper, told ABC News.

In humans, the pattern shows that as the body gets bigger, it is expected to be more prone to cancer, Nunney said. But this theory does not translate to man's best friend, the research shows.