Ultrasound Patch detects tiny breast abnormalities in early trial.
Ultrasound Patch detects tiny breast abnormalities in early trial.
A Wearable Ultrasound Patch: Revolutionizing Breast Cancer Detection at Home
Breast cancer, a condition that affects millions of women worldwide, has long been a challenge in terms of early detection. Scientists have now developed a groundbreaking technology – a wearable ultrasound patch – that could potentially allow women to monitor themselves for early signs of breast cancer in the comfort of their homes.
This incredible achievement was reported in the prestigious journal Science Advances on July 28, 2023. The development of wearable ultrasound technology is part of a broader research effort to revolutionize healthcare by making diagnostic tools more accessible and affordable.
The current use of breast ultrasound involves visiting healthcare facilities and undergoing an operator-dependent procedure. A health care provider applies gel to a handheld wand called a transducer, which is then moved over the breast to produce ultrasound images. The quality of these images can vary based on the operator’s experience and expertise.
The wearable ultrasound patch has the potential to be both more convenient and more reliable. However, designing a wearable device for breast ultrasound poses a unique challenge due to the curves of the breast. Previous wearable ultrasound devices have been small and designed for short-term use, usually a matter of days. These devices show promise for imaging other organs or tissue as people go about their daily activities.
Senior researcher Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has a different vision for wearable ultrasound technology. She aims to develop a device that can be used repeatedly over the long term to catch breast cancer in its earliest stages. This approach would address the issue of “interval cancers,” which refers to breast cancers that develop after a normal screening mammogram.
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Dagdeviren’s team has created a malleable, flexible ultrasound device in the form of a honeycomb-like patch with 15 hexagonal sections. This patch is designed to be worn over a bra, conforming to the shape of the breast. A tiny tracker located within the patch moves along a set pathway along the hexagons, capturing ultrasound images at multiple angles. The tracker can rotate 360 degrees, further enhancing image quality and accuracy.
Preliminary tests with the wearable ultrasound patch have been promising. The patch successfully detected cysts as small as 3 millimeters in a 71-year-old woman with a history of breast tissue cysts. This finding hints at the device’s potential to detect early tumors.
Sheng Xu, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego, who has been developing wearable ultrasound technology for years, praised the study’s outcomes. Xu emphasized the potential of the tracker in the bra to standardize ultrasound imaging procedures and minimize the reliance on operator skill, which is a limitation of conventional ultrasound.
Though significant progress has been made, there is still work to be done. Dagdeviren’s team aims to conduct further studies involving at least 1,000 women to gain approval for the wearable ultrasound patch from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, the patch was initially connected to a standard computer through a cable for image display during testing. To ensure ease of use at home, the researchers plan to pair the patch with a smartphone-like device and transmit the data via cloud to healthcare providers.
In addition to empowering women at high risk of breast cancer due to factors such as strong family history, the wearable ultrasound patch has potential applications in lower-income countries with limited access to conventional medical imaging. Dagdeviren emphasizes the importance of making this technology affordable and accessible for all women.
The development of this wearable ultrasound patch marks a significant step forward in breast cancer detection. By enabling women to monitor themselves for early signs of breast cancer at home, this innovative technology has the potential to save lives. With ongoing research and collaborations between scientists and healthcare providers, we can hope for a future where breast cancer is diagnosed and treated even more effectively, ultimately improving outcomes for patients worldwide.
