A team of researchers from the National University of the Center of the Province of Buenos Aires – Unicen – developed a unique optical mammograph in the world. Unlike the technology usually used, it offers greater comfort for patients, achieves more precision in the diagnosis, dispenses with radiation and, as a result, can contribute to the early detection of associated diseases. Breast cancer is the most common type among women, so any approach that aims to gain effectiveness in its identification is good news.
From the Unicen Faculty of Exact Sciences they announced that the prototype, called Mamoref, is now ready and that due to its low cost it will be accessible so that, once it is scaled, it can be distributed in health institutions at the municipal and provincial level. At present, the team in charge of development plans to expand the clinical trials in order to finalize details and obtain the necessary approval from the National Administration of Medicines, Foods and Medical Technology (Anmat).
The mammograph is the result of public-private articulation, since it is the property of Bionirs: a technology-based company that was created from the association between the University, Conicet and the Sancor Group. “Bionirs is a start up that is dedicated to develop solutions to solve specific problems of women’s health and reduce inequality in access to the health system. We hope that Mamoref, being simple and transportablecan provide a much more enjoyable diagnostic experience for all women and become a tool capable of combating breast cancer,” he tells Página 12. Pamela Pardini, CEO of the company. And completes: “We also have the objective of reducing the gap between women and men who are part of the technological world.”
There are several prototypes built and one, in fact, is already being validated in clinical tests at a hospital in Mar del Plata. Despite the good results achieved so far, to scale up production, scientists are requesting greater private contributions. In the majority of developments that come to fruition, the process is traced: there is a first instance in which the state contribution is fundamental (in addition to the investment that constitutes the training of scientists for years) and, then, in order to advance in the following stages of design and scaling of the product, private support is needed. . This is how, in a synthetic way, ideas become something material and palpable that modifies people’s lives.
More comfortable, precise and inclusive
“The mammogram usually provides structural information about what is happening in the breast: it indicates that there are areas of greater density than others and, as a result, raises the doctor’s suspicion. Based on that, plus what the health professional knows about the patients’ medical history, the next step is a biopsy, that is, the extraction of a small portion of the suspicious tissue to evaluate whether it is a malignant or benign tumor. «, he relates Nicolás Carbone, doctor in physics from the University and in charge of the technological design of the mammograph. Worldwide, a high percentage of women who reach the biopsy stage (between 60 and 80 percent depending on the reference taken) do not have a malignant pathology. “A biopsy is necessary, in fact it is performed to rule out a potentially fatal disease. However, also It is expensive, invasive and entails a very great psychological disorder for women, who fear potential cancer. This is when our technology can be of great help”, warns the scientist.
“The device uses infrared light (completely safe) instead of ultrasound or x-rays as the standard technique. Light is absorbed differently depending on whether the tissue is oxygenated or not. This is how we achieve an oxygen saturation map of the breast and that provides structural, but also metabolic information. This is a clear indicator, a typical signature of a malignant tumor.«, details Carbone. As the malignant tumor grows and expands, it requires fuel: oxygenated blood to surround it. In this way, since the launch of Mamoref, it is possible to distinguish what happens in a step prior to performing the biopsy.
In addition to precision, the other virtue of the innovative product is the comfort it offers to patients. It is only necessary for the person to sit and rest one breast on the front part of the device. “It is not necessary to compress the breast and the study can be performed as many times as necessary. For this reason, technology can be useful to monitor treatment when the cancer diagnosis is already confirmed.”, adds the scientist.
The laser is in charge of doing all the work, sending the information required by the specialist. Only five minutes are enough for the procedure to be completed. By having a much friendlier handling than previous technologies, the dependency that we usually have on technicians is limited. As an additional detail, as Carbone relates, X-rays are no longer required to locate signs of cancer, nor the discomfort (discomfort and even pain) due to pressure on the breasts that is reported in the conventional procedure.
During the years of prototyping, The versions were modified in relation to the requirements raised by the patients themselves.. In the first, women stood face down and rested one breast against a transparent window. The method, however, offered some disadvantages: there were those who found it annoying, they could not tolerate the position for five or ten minutes and it was difficult for pregnant women. The second version of the prototype (currently presented), however, is more inclusive: it sits in a simpler posture, making it accessible to people expecting a baby and those with reduced mobility.
On the podium of a global problem
In 2020, cancer caused the death of 10 million human beings. And if this number is broken down, we reach the conclusion that the most common is the breast one. Then follow those of the lung, colon and rectum. In Argentina, according to estimates from the Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan) cited by the Ministry of Health, 130,878 new cases of cancer were registered in 2020, of which 47 percent were registered in men and 53 percent in women. The incidence rate was 212.4 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, a figure that places the country as one of the nations on the planet with a medium-high incidence of the disease. In line with the global trend, in domestic territory, breast cancer is the largest (16 percent of cases), and is followed by colorectal (12 percent), lung (9.3 percent) and prostate (9 percent).
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