This Bra Could Detect Breast Cancer Earlier
The wearable device will target those at high risk of developing interval cancer between mammograms
In the same year I was relocating to São Paulo (Brazil), my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. I experienced her illness from a distance.
Breast cancer ranks as the most common form of cancer globally, responsible for approximately 1 in every 6 cancer-related deaths in women. While the vast majority of breast cancer cases affect women, a small percentage, ranging from 0.5% to 1%, occurs in men.
In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths globally.
How breast cancer screening currently works?
Currently, the primary method for screening breast cancer is a type of X-ray imaging called a mammogram. While mammograms are generally effective, detecting roughly 87% of cancers, they require access to imaging centers. This can pose challenges for many individuals, particularly those with limited financial means, who may consequently postpone their screenings due to the associated high costs and difficulties in arranging transportation.
The Solution
When breast cancer is identified during its initial stages, the chances of survival approach nearly 100 percent. However, if tumors are discovered at later stages, that survival rate diminishes to approximately 25 percent.
With the aim of enhancing the overall survival rate among breast cancer patients, scientists at MIT have developed a wearable ultrasound device. This device has the potential to enable individuals to detect tumors during their early stages. It could be especially beneficial for individuals at a heightened risk of developing breast cancer between their regular mammogram screenings.
MIT graduate student Wenya Du, Research Scientist Lin Zhang, Emma Suh ’23, and Dabin Lin, a professor at Xi’an Technological University, are the lead authors of the paper, which appears today in Science Advances.
How does the ultrasound bra work?
Interval cancers, which are breast tumors that develop between scheduled mammograms, constitute approximately 20 to 30 percent of all breast cancer cases. These tumors tend to exhibit a more aggressive nature compared to those typically detected during routine scans.
The device in question is a pliable patch that can be affixed to a bra. This setup enables the wearer to glide an ultrasound tracker along the patch's surface and capture images of breast tissue from various perspectives.
Source: science.org
The MIT Team has devised a compact ultrasound scanner designed for on-demand imaging. This scanner utilizes the same ultrasound technology employed in medical imaging centers but incorporates an innovative piezoelectric material that allows for its miniaturization.
To render the device wearable, the researchers have crafted a flexible 3D-printed patch with honeycomb-like openings. Using magnets, this patch can be fastened to a bra featuring suitable openings for the ultrasound scanner to make contact with the skin. The ultrasound scanner is housed within a small tracker that can be maneuvered into six different positions, facilitating complete breast imaging. Furthermore, it can be rotated to capture images from various angles, and it does not necessitate any specialized expertise to operate.
In their new paper, the research team revealed that the device successfully identified breast cysts in a 71-year-old patient with a history of these masses. And the best news: The image resolution—taken of tissue up to eight centimeters deep in the breast—resembled a traditional ultrasound scan.
The Future
After the device clears clinical trials with success, The MIT team envisions transforming breast cancer screening into a more convenient, cost-effective, and notably more comfortable process. This innovation could be particularly revolutionary for individuals at higher risk of breast cancer, effectively reducing the barriers to screening.
The research team aspires to establish a process where, after collecting data from a patient, artificial intelligence can be employed to analyze the evolving changes in the images. This approach has the potential to offer more precise diagnostics compared to the traditional method of relying on a radiologist's assessment of images taken years apart. Furthermore, they have intentions to investigate the adaptation of ultrasound technology for scanning other areas of the body.
+ Brest Cancer Solutions are good
Martin
P.S. I used some of the following sources to obtain the data for this article:
(1) WHO (2) MIT (3) Science.org
