Handheld Device Enables Imaging and Treatment of Oral Cancer in Low-Resource Settings

Oral cancer is a growing public health concern, particularly in South Asia, where it affects tens of thousands of people each year. In India, oral cancer accounts for 40% of all cancers, largely driven by the widespread use of tobacco-based products like gutka. The situation is exacerbated by limited access to early screening and treatment, especially in rural and underserved areas. Most cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, when treatment is more difficult and survival rates are lower. Now, researchers have developed a compact, affordable device that can both image suspicious lesions and deliver light-based therapy to treat them.

The device, created by researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMB, Boston, MA, USA) along with collaborators, integrates a smartphone-coupled intraoral probe with specialized LEDs and filters to capture both white-light and fluorescence images for detecting oral cancers. Additionally, the device uses laser diodes to activate protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a light-sensitive compound that accumulates in cancerous tissue after applying a precursor drug. The light exposure causes PpIX to produce reactive molecules that destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. This technique, known as photodynamic therapy, has shown promise for treating early oral cancers with minimal side effects.

The device was validated through a series of preclinical tests, including tissue-mimicking phantoms and cell cultures, which demonstrated the device’s ability to detect PpIX fluorescence and monitor its breakdown during treatment. The device also successfully imaged PpIX fluorescence up to 2.5 mm deep and showed effective photobleaching at depths relevant to early-stage oral cancers. In animal models, tumors treated with the device shrank significantly compared to untreated controls, with tumor cell death extending up to 3.5 mm deep. The study, published in Biophotonics Discovery, also showed that this low-cost, portable device can perform both diagnosis and treatment of early oral cancer effectively. Future work will focus on clinical trials to refine the device and ensure it can be broadly applied in regions with limited access to specialized care.