Skin cancer can now be accurately diagnosed without a biopsy thanks to a new handheld device. Around the world, to identify skin cancer, a thin piece of skin is removed and examined in a laboratory for several days, called a biopsy.
But a hand-held device made by the Steven Institute can identify cancer by looking at the millimeter wavelength (wavelength) to determine whether it is cancerous or non-cancerous.
The biopsy procedure for cancer diagnosis is time-consuming and painful. A small piece of the suspicious wart or blister is cut out and sent to a laboratory while the wound takes weeks to heal. Now it is a situation that many times, unnecessary biopsies have to be done, so the identification of skin cancer has become a mystery.
The Stevens Institute has developed a new device that is less expensive, shows results more quickly, and is accurate to laboratory standards. It images biopsies at the millimeter level, and the technology is commonly used in airport scanning.
The device scans the skin and evaluates the rays reflected on it. Its algorithm creates the best image from multiple antennas. It seems to even have small blemishes and fine warts with high clarity and without any distortion.
First, a large table version was created from which the skin of 71 people was scanned. Each patient was screened in a matter of seconds and the experts were 97% accurate in determining the type of cancer. This rate was even higher than the most modern hospital laboratory.
Although many cancer imaging devices are available, they are expensive, bulky, and out of reach in poor countries. In comparison, the new high-speed manual device is much less expensive and effective.
Due to the millimeter wavelength, the light penetrates up to two millimeters into the skin and creates a 3D map of the bump. The image is then sent to software where an algorithm predicts whether or not it is cancerous.
It can then be further confirmed with a biopsy. In the next phase, it will be further miniaturized, and within just two years, a model will be available for $100.