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The survival rate of breast cancer is nearly 100 per cent if it's detected in the early stages, but that drops to around 25 per cent if tumours are detected later on.
To try and improve early detection, the researchers have created a flexible patch that can be attached to a bra, allowing the wearer to move an ultrasound scanner along it and examine breast tissue from different angles. A new study in the journal
Science Advances shows how this technique can be used to get ultrasound images that are comparable to the probes used in medical imaging centres.
“We changed the form factor of the ultrasound technology so that it can be used in your home. It’s portable and easy to use, and provides real-time, user-friendly monitoring of breast tissue,” says Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor in MIT’s Media Lab and the senior author of the study.
She was inspired by her aunt, Fatma Caliskanogly, who was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at 49 and died six months later. At her aunt's bedside, Dagdeviren drew up rough plans for the device.
“My goal is to target the people who are most likely to develop interval cancer,” says Dagdeviren, referring to the cancers which develop in between regular mammograms, which tend to be more aggressive and which make up 20 to 30 per cent of all breast cancer cases. “With more frequent screening, our goal is to increase the survival rate to up to 98 per cent.”
Dagdeviren, who specialises in electronic devices that conform to the body, designed a mini ultrasound scanner incorporating a novel piezoelectric material. To make the device wearable, the researchers designed a flexible, 3D-printed patch, which has honeycomb-like openings. Using magnets, this patch can be attached to a bra that has openings that allow the ultrasound scanner to contact the skin. The ultrasound scanner fits inside a small tracker that can be moved to six different positions, allowing the entire breast to be imaged. The scanner can also be rotated to take images from different angles, and does not require any special expertise to operate.
“This technology provides a fundamental capability in the detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is key to a positive outcome,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and one of the authors of the study. “This work will significantly advance ultrasound research and medical device designs, leveraging advances in materials, low-power circuits, AI algorithms, and biomedical systems.”
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