Portable Breast Scanner offers Convenience, Faster Cancer Detection

by Alex A. Kecskes

Thanks to a new portable scanner, women may finally be able to instantly identify whether they have a tumor in the comfort of their own home.

According to University of Manchester's Professor Zhipeng Wu, the new radio frequency scanner clearly shows the presence of malignant or benign tumors—all in a matter of seconds. Using RF energy to reveal tumors isn't new. But until now, it took a few minutes for an image to be produced, and this had to be done in a hospital or specialist care center. What's new is that the new system is portable, quicker and less intrusive.

Breast cancer is the second biggest killer in women. Detecting breast cancer up to now has been primarily relegated to mammography, which works well for women over the age of 50, but it is far less effective for younger women.

With the new RF-based system, the presence of a tumor or other abnormality appears immediately in red as the sensor detects tissue contrasts at radio frequencies. This kind of real-time imaging reduces the chance of missing a breast tumor during scanning. Although some research still remains, the system offers great potential as a faster and more convenient way to diagnose breast cancer.

Those wishing to enter the medical field as technicians or nurses may want to keep up with the latest developments in this exciting technology.

For an additional perspective, check out this video:

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