Oct. 5, 2007 — Generally, intimate apparel is designed to provide support and
comfort. But now a bra for women, and eventually briefs for men, could
have some real health benefits by detecting cancerous cells.
The undergarments could serve as monitoring and early warning systems to alert at-risk patients of a problem years before a tumor forms.
"It could emit two warnings, audible or visual
or both," said Elias Siores, director of the Center for Materials Research and Innovation at the University of Bolton in the U.K. "If the warning persists, you would see a specialist."
Siores and his team are focusing initially on the concept of the bra
to detect breast cancer, but think that the device could work in briefs to spot prostrate cancer as well.
The device is built on technology called microwave radiometry, which
measures small temperature changes in internal tissue. Cancerous
tumors are known to have a different temperature than the surrounding
tissue, often because of inflammation, changes in the blood supply to
the area, or increased metabolism in the cells.
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Some doctors already use microwave radiometry for breast cancer detection, but the equipment is elaborate and far from portable.
Siores's idea is to shrink the technology down to cup size. Tiny,
fiber-like antennas would be woven into each side of the bra. The
antennas would pick up the thermal signals coming from tissue inside
the breast.
