Can a bra detect breast cancer? 'Smart' device targets high-risk women
A New Hope for Early Breast Cancer Detection
A wearable device that attaches to a bra is being developed by British scientists to help detect breast cancer more quickly, especially in high-risk groups. This innovative "smart bra" could potentially identify tumors as small as 5mm, which might be missed during regular mammogram screenings.
For most women, routine breast screening appointments—every three years for those over 50 or earlier for those at higher risk—help detect tumors before they become difficult to treat, reducing the need for additional scans. However, women with intellectual disabilities face a greater risk of dying from breast cancer or being diagnosed at a later stage. This is largely due to their lower likelihood of attending screenings, often because of lack of awareness, fear of the procedure, embarrassment, and inadequate support.
Scientists from Nottingham Trent University and the University of Glasgow believe this new technology could help address these challenges by monitoring tumor growth in real time and alerting doctors to potential risks. The device is still in development, but the researchers hope it will prompt medical professionals to arrange further scans, such as an MRI, leading to earlier diagnosis and better chances of survival.
Professor Yang Wei, an expert in wearable technology at Nottingham Trent University, explained:
"This technology has the potential to save women's lives by detecting tumours early, while being used as an added measure alongside all other normal checks and scans. As MRI scans can be months apart, patients could be given better peace of mind by knowing that any growth between monitoring appointments would be picked up. We hope in the future that this technology could reduce the need for many other checks, such as MRI, ultrasound and mammograms, and in doing so create efficiencies for health services."
Dr Dani Skirrow, a research information manager at Cancer Research UK, which is funding the trial, said:
"Over the past 50 years, our work has helped to nearly double breast cancer survival in the UK. We're committed to making sure everyone shares in this progress equally, regardless of who they are, where they're from or what type of cancer they have. The 'Smart Bra' has the potential to make breast cancer screening more accessible so that more people can benefit from it."
How the Smart Bra Works
The technology, which contains 16 electrodes and sits over the nipple area, uses a form of electrical current to scan for subtle differences in body tissues. Tumors tend to be denser and hold less water than healthy areas, so the device can help differentiate them. It logs data internally and also transmits it to a smartphone app for processing.
"The device will alert the wearer if an abnormality is detected, even without a smartphone connection," Professor Wei told the Daily Mail. "Integrating healthcare data with NHS patient records is a complex process, but ultimately the goal is to streamline this data into individual patient records for analysis."
The "smart textile technology" is designed to be small enough to allow patients to slip it into their bra, meaning they can continue to wear their own bra of choice. However, it can also be part of a new bra altogether, according to the researchers.
Future Trials and Potential Impact
Trials of the device will begin before the end of the year, and scientists hope the technology could soon be rolled out for women with intellectual disabilities on the NHS. This innovation could significantly improve early detection and treatment outcomes for a vulnerable group of women.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the UK, with one in seven women diagnosed in their lifetime—around 56,000 a year. In the US, the figure stands at roughly 300,000 annually. Around 85% of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive more than five years.
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