A new breakthrough in diagnosing breast cancer
May 12th 2008 23:30
The X-ray of a hair follicle
Later this year, an alternative to the mammogram will be available for breast cancer diagnosis in women.
A Sydney company called Fermiscan has announced a new revolutionary breakthrough in breast cancer diagnosis via X-raying of the hair. The Fermiscan test is based on an Australian university discovery that breast cancer changes the molecular structure of hair thus using sophisticated X-ray technology will allow detection of chemicals called cytokines which breast tumours secrete into the bloodstream.
Two thousand Australian women participated in a Fermiscan test trial and studies found the test to be effective in detecting breast cancer albeit at a comparatively lower success rate than that of the mammogram at 75 per cent (excluding damaged hair by perming, dyeing and straightening).
Roughly 1,500 of the 2,000 women in the trial were correctly diagnosed as negative and 20 were correctly diagnosed as positive.
This is a huge breakthrough in breast cancer detection and provides women of all ages with an alternative, less painful and invasive method of cancer detection. [ninemsn.com.au]
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