Electronic Skin Helps Detect Breast Tumors

A nanoparticle-based film that can sense texture and relative stiffness could significantly enhance clinical breast examinations (CBE) for early detection of cancer.

Developed by researchers at the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL; USA), the nanotechnology thin-film sensor strip, appreciably thinner than a human hair, is made of nanoparticles and polymers, which when pressed against the skin creates changes in electrical current and light that can be captured by a high-quality digital camera. The device emulates human touch to quantify CBE by imaging lumps using approximately 80 kPa pressure, generating a graphical linear response where the greyscale image corresponds to the relative local stiffness.


Using a silicone breast mode, the researchers successfully detect tumors as small as five millimeters which were hidden up to 20 millimeters deep; the background signal from stiffer objects at a size below 2 mm was minimal. According to the researchers, the film can be manufactured using readily available industrial processes and remains stable for months, so that it could be used by doctors during routine patient examinations or by physicians serving remote regions of the world. The study was published August 19, 2014, in Advanced Materials & Interfaces.

“Other tests, such as mammogram and MRI, require a nerve-wracking wait until the results are reported. This is more like an ultrasound, providing immediate results without radiation and not as uncomfortable as a mammogram,” said lead author Ravi Saraf, PhD, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “The thin-film tool would have at least three advantages to a manual breast exam performed by a physician; it is more sensitive; it creates an image of the lump that can be included in the patient's records; and it provides faster results than other imaging technology.”

The detection of an imbedded structure is a fine balance between the relative stiffness of the matrix, the object, and the device. If the device is too soft, its high responsiveness will limit the depth to which the imbedded structure can be detected. The human finger can sense palpation, which is an effective procedure for a physician to examine irregularities during CBE by pressing over a one cm2 area, at a contact pressure in the 70–90 kPa range. The physician can then feel cancerous lumps that are 8–18-fold stiffer than surrounding tissue.

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