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Goodbye panic, hello Braster: How to detect breast cancer before losing your mind
Detecting a lump on your breast while taking a shower can be a terrifying experience for most women.
India has a low breast cancer survival rate at 66 per cent, according to the Union health ministry. This is because most women go for treatment only when the cancer has reached an advanced stage.
While regular screening of breast cancer is the best way to check mortality rates, existing screening methods such as mammography and sonography are mostly for elderly women aged 50 and above.
This leaves out a large number of vulnerable younger women who may be at risk. This is where a new easy to use, radiation free device that relies on a contact-based screening process, can prove to be a game changer for hospitals and doctors.
The device known as Braster Pro, uses a technique called liquid cyrstal thermography. It detects areas of higher temperature in the breast. (Tumor development is associated with higher temperature in place where the cancer is growing.)
“Braster picks up the heat, tells you about asymmetric areas in the breast and gives projections,” said Dr Priya Ganesh Kumar, Clinical Advisor Women’s Health, GenWorks Health.
“Usually for patients with heriditary history of breast cancer, we advise MRI and sonography, once in a year or once in two years. But with Braster, I can screen such patients more regularly,” said Dr Kumar.
The device, which looks like a stemless champaign saucer, shows more specificity in understanding tumor, unlike other devices, according to her.
“The specificity of clinical breast examination is actually very less, because the breast is very dense in younger women,” said Dr Priya. “This is where a device like braster is of great help.”
Dense breast tissues are generally associated with younger age and premenopausal status, with breast density gradually decreasing after menopause.
“The idea behind screening is to detect any abnoramalities, even in asymptomatic women, so that their lives can be saved,” said Dr Kumar.
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