A wearable mini ultrasound device that will detect tumours when they are still in early stages – and which fits into a bra – has been designed by researchers, who say it could be particularly valuable for patients at high risk of developing breast cancer in between routine mammograms.
When diagnosed early, the survival rate for breast cancer is nearly 100%, but for tumours detected in later stages, that drops to around 25%, reports Popular Science.
The most common way to test for potential breast cancer is through a mammogram, but while these can typically find lumps in breast tissue before a doctor or individual can feel them themselves, screening mammograms miss about one in eight breast cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.
Mammograms are recommended for women over 40 about every year or so, but for high-risk patients that might not be enough. “Interval cancers,” or cancers that develop in between routine scans, make up 20% to 30% of all breast cancer cases and can be more aggressive.
However, the scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with another possible solution – a flexible patch that can take ultrasound images comparable to those done by medical centres, but which can fit into a bra.
They published their development in Scientific Advances.
“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,” said Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor in MIT’s Media Lab and the senior author of the study.
Inspired by her aunt who died at 49 of breast cancer, Dagdeviren designed a tiny ultrasound scanner using piezoelectric material that could take images whenever a user wanted; the team also designed a flexible 3D-printed patch with “honeycomb-like” openings.
Fitted up with a matching bra, the scanner can be moved around to six different spots to image the entire breast – no special training needed.
The researchers tested their device on a 71-year-old subject with a history of breast cysts, and were able to detect cysts as small as 0.3cm in diameter and up to 8cm deep in the tissue, all while maintaining a resolution similar to traditional ultrasounds.
Right now, users need to plug in the device to an imaging centre-style ultrasound device to see the images, but the next steps for the team include building a mini, phone-sized imaging system. In the future, high-risk individuals could use the device at home over and over, and it could also come in handy for patients without access to regular screening.
Study details
Conformable ultrasound breast patch For Deep Tissue Scanning And Imaging
Wenya Du, Lin Zhang, Canan Dagdeviren, et al.
Published in Science Advances on 28 July 2023
Abstract
Ultrasound is widely used for tissue imaging such as breast cancer diagnosis; however, fundamental challenges limit its integration with wearable technologies, namely, imaging over large-area curvilinear organs. We introduced a wearable, conformable ultrasound breast patch (cUSBr-Patch) that enables standardised and reproducible image acquisition over the entire breast with less reliance on operator training and applied transducer compression. A nature-inspired honeycomb-shaped patch combined with a phased array is guided by an easy-to-operate tracker that provides for large-area, deep scanning, and multiangle breast imaging capability. The in vitro studies and clinical trials reveal that the array using a piezoelectric crystal [Yb/Bi-Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3] (Yb/Bi-PIN-PMN-PT) exhibits a sufficient contrast resolution (~3 dB) and axial/lateral resolutions of 0.25/1.0 mm at 30 mm depth, allowing the observation of small cysts (~0.3 cm) in the breast. This research develops a first-of-its-kind ultrasound technology for breast tissue scanning and imaging that offers a noninvasive method for tracking real-time dynamic changes of soft tissue.
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