Skin Cancer Diagnosis in 20 seconds with hand held Gadget
Skin cancer may not sound as serious as other cancers but it does have a relatively high mortality rate. the reason for this is that even highly skilled doctors still struggle to identify cancerous moles.
The only way to be certain is by having the mole removed then waiting possibly weeks to find out if you have cancer, or if if it is simple mole.
But now a small device that will fit in a GP’s pocket can diagnose dangerous skin cancers in just 20 seconds. It is a hand-held gadget, which costs around £500, it can detect cancer using a technique called Optical Transfer Diagnosis.
If a tumour is growing new blood vessels arise as a growing tumour needs a rich blood supply to keep it nourished.
Blood is known to absorb light and this device measures how much light is absorbed compared to healthy tissue and it works out if a cancer may be setting in.
Early trial results suggest it’s so accurate that it could be used to identify malignant melanomas, the most serious form of skin cancer, without the need for a biopsy.
This could be available in the UK within two years.