Portable breast scanner enables cancer detection ‘in a second’
October 27th, 2010 - 6:11 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Oct 27 (ANI): A new portable breast scanner could soon allow women to test themselves at home.
Professor Zhipeng Wu has invented a portable scanner based on radio frequency technology, which is able to show in a second the presence of tumours - malignant and benign - in the breast on a computer.
Using the technology for breast cancer detection has been proven by researchers in the US, Canada and UK.
However, up to now, it can take a few minutes for an image to be produced, and this had to be done in a hospital or specialist care centre.
Now Professor Wu, from the University of Manchester’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, says concerned patients can receive real-time video images in using the radio frequency scanner, which would clearly and simply show the presence of a tumour.
Not only is this a quicker and less-intrusive means of testing, it also means women can be tested at GP surgeries, which could help dramatically reduce waiting times and in some cases avoid unnecessary X-ray mammography.
The scanner could also be used at home for continuous monitoring of breast health.
The patented real-time radio frequency scanner uses computer tomography and works by using the same technology as a mobile phone, but with only a tiny fraction of its power.
This makes it both safe and low-cost and the electronics can be housed in a case the size of a lunch box for compactness and portability. (ANI)
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Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer detection, breast health, compactness, computer tomography, electronic engineering, gp surgeries, lunch box, portable scanner, professor wu, radio frequency scanner, radio frequency technology, specialist care, time radio, tiny fraction, tumours, university of manchester, video images, waiting times, x ray