Researchers from Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a portable device that works with a smartphone to help diagnose cancer.
In a paper published in the Science Translational Medicine, doctors at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital described a $200 smartphone accessory that can analyze a small amount of tumor tissue and determine its cancerous malignancy. The device hooks up to a smartphone and displays information using the device's screen.
The research team also detailed an early clinical test of the device, in which 50 people had their abnormal stomach tissue biopsied and diagnosed by the device. The unit correctly predicted whether 48 of the patients had benign or malignant cancers. The scientists also discovered that results were 96 percent, exceeding the 84 percent accuracy rate of current methods.
"At the end of the day there are a lot of good technologies out there that are very promising on the bench side -- the key is how to translate it into the clinic,"’ said Cesar Castro, an oncologist at Massachusetts General and one of the authors of the paper.
The device has yet to go through more rigorous and extensive testing, but initial trials are promising. Results with the device are available within an hour, instead of the taking days with more traditional tests. But there are further tests before the device is reading for use. The research team is looking at customizing the smartphone for different types of cancer next, according to Castro.
A powerful yet portable cancer assessment test could revolutionize the treatment for both doctors and patients. Castro said that physicians could use it to assess the efficacy of certain drug therapies on cancer or monitor the progress of patients' treatments over time. And since the device is inexpensive and smartphones are widespread, it could be used to fight cancer in developing countries.
Researchers and doctors all over the U.S. are embracing technology to improve medical care. For instance, Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, which established the "Center for Social Media" on its campus, is training medical professionals on how to use Facebook and Twitter to improve patient care by setting up appointments and answering questions. Patients at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida can tweet their physicians when they have questions, while doctors at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital answer questions via tweets during real-time brain surgery.
Mobile devices are expected to provide health care to over 500 million people by 2015, offering cheap diagnostic tools to combat many of the world's diseases, according to Microsoft's founder Bill Gates at the mHealth Summit in November. Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he has given billions of dollars to charitable causes, with a focus on mobile health.
Gates is currently working on a plan to use cell phones to register births in the developing world, collecting biometric information on babies to transmit to a central health registry, which could be used to remind parents about vaccinations.
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