Wearables for Breast Cancer
Detection
Existing methods and their problems
• clinical breast examination (CBE): cancerous tumors are extremely small and
often undetectable, Sensitivity is low, Does not even determine malignancy.
• Mammography: Accuracy is only 78%, High cost, cannot be used on pregnant or
young women because of radiation. it does not provide certain and reliable
results for women with dense breasts as well as in women having surgical
interventions. Age factor, rupture risk.
• Ultrasound: Poor resolution, Low-contrast image is formed
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): preoperative MRI is associated with higher
rates of mastectomy, False-positive enhancement, Poor throughput compared
with mammography, : Specificity is too low and interpretation is complex and not
standardized, which recommended only the screening of high-risk women.
Indications for cancer detection
• Temperature: Tumors have high temperature than normal tissues (IR
thermography is used to measure)
• Pressure difference corresponding to area of abnormal tissues is
higher than healthy tissues. (Pressure Mapping technique)
• Elastic modulus difference because normal tissue has a modulus that
is noticeably lower than the modulus of the breast cancers (Elasticity
imaging technique)
• Difference in oxygenated and non-oxygenated hemoglobin.
• Size /Shape variation (image processing technique)
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• Wearables with integration of infrared sensors for thermal mapping of
breast tissues.
• Eva auto exploration bra Equipped with tactile sensors and can
determine thermal conductivity by specific zones. More heat would
indicate more blood flow, therefore indicating some type of cancer.
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• Sensors built into wearable, embedded within catheters and
anastomoses such as those that can detect biochemical changes in
the microenvironment (e.g. lactate, glucose, pH).
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• Mechanical imaging (MI) technique, translates the tissue’s elastic
properties into a digital 3-D map of the detected mass.
• MI is based on reconstructing the internal structure of soft tissues
using the data obtained by a force sensor array pressed against the
examined site.
• The changes in the surface stress patterns as a function of
displacement, applied load and time provide information about
elastic composition and geometry of the underlying tissue structures.
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• Wearable system based on a pressure sensing textile able to
distinguish tissue stiffness, thus differentiating between healthy and
abnormal tissue.
• The textile covers the breast and the inflator system separately
inflates and deflates each of the four compartments allowing the
sensing textile to adhere sequentially to the breast.
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• SmartBra's detection system based on the use of ultrasound waves to
perform echography scans for potentially cancerous cells.
• Piezoelectric sensors are used that run on energy generated when
pressure is applied to a piezoelectric material.
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• Wearable breast imaging system by combining a garment and a
flexible electronic system.
Wearables for Breast Cancer Detection
• Wearable with integration of a micro-strip patch antenna that
transmits and/or receives electromagnetic waves and converts the
waves to electrical signals.
