Looking Back
Breast Cancer Detection
Infrared sensors used in NASA space missions have found a place in the early detection of breast cancer.
In 2001 the National Cancer Institute reported that
cancer incident rates had decreased about 0.5 percent
a year since 1991. One of the factors cited in the
decline was early detection. Through technology developed
at NASA, OmniCorder Technologies in Stony Brook,
N.Y., is trying to continue this trend.
Today, infrared sensors used in space are aiding in the early detection of breast cancer. Through an exclusive license agreement signed in 1997 with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, OmniCorder created the BioScanIR System, which is able to locate cancerous lesions by detecting the cancer's ability to recruit a new blood supply. Blood-flow differences are known to occur in the earliest stages of cancer development. The technology uses JPL's quantum well infrared photo detection (QWIP). A digital sensor detects infrared energy emitted from the body and identifies the minute differences accompanying the blood-flow changes associated with cancerous cells. The QWIP was designed for planetary exploration and terrestrial surveillance.
OmniCorder has developed two types of scanning designs. One is a bed designed for breast cancer examination. The patient lies facedown and places her breast in a hole in the table. The camera is positioned under the table and does not come into direct contact with the breast. The other setup is similar, but it requires the patient to stand on a platform. In December 1999 OmniCorder received 510K clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to market the BioScan system. The company has conducted clinical trials of the system at Stony Brook University Hospital, the Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
For more information, contact Debora Avila, debora.l.avila@jpl.nasa.gov.
Please mention that you read about it in Technology Innovation.
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