Soon a bra to detect breast cancer?

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a promising tool which could enable women to self-detect early breast cancer, do we learn in a statement of the Institute dated July 28, 2023. This is a portable ultrasound ultrasound machine which takes the form ofa patch (obtained via 3D printing) that can directly be integrated into a bra using magnets. This patch being flexible, it allows the wearer to obtain images of the breast tissue from different angles. It does not require any special expertise to operate. In a study whose results were published on July 28, 2023 in the journal Science Advances, the researchers showed that they could obtain ultrasound images with a resolution comparable to that of the ultrasound probes used in medical imaging centers. This could thus be particularly useful for patients at high risk of developing breast cancer, for example between two routine mammograms. “We have changed the form factor of ultrasound technology so that it can be used at home. It is portable and easy to use, and provides real-time and intuitive monitoring of breast tissue“says Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor at MIT’s Media Lab and lead author of the study. The device was notably on a 71-year-old woman with a history of breast cysts and was able to detect the cysts, which measured just 0 .3 cm in diameter, the size of tumors at an early stage.

Detect interval cancers

The aim is to target people who are at risk of developing breast tumors that develop between regular mammograms, known as interval cancers. These interval tumors represent 20-30% of all breast cancer casesand they tend to be more aggressive than those found during routine examinations. “With more frequent screening, our goal is to increase the survival rate to 98%“, concludes the author of the study. For the moment, this tool is not marketed and is therefore not available to the general public.