Goodbye Biopsy - Handheld Device Can Identify Skin Cancer Painlessly

Researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology are now developing a low-cost handheld device that could cut the rate of unnecessary biopsies in half and make labs more accessible to dermatologists and other front-line physicians level of cancer diagnosis

The team's device uses millimeter-wave imaging -- the same technology used by airport security scanners -- to scan a patient's skin

Healthy tissue reflects millimeter waves differently than cancerous tissue, so cancer could theoretically be detected by monitoring the contrast of light reflected back from the skin

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"There are other advanced imaging techniques that can detect skin cancer, but they're large, expensive machines that aren't available in the clinic," said Tavassolian,

Because the team's technique can provide results in seconds, it could one day replace magnifying glasses in routine exams, delivering extremely accurate results almost immediately

Unlike other imaging methods, millimeter-wave rays can harmlessly penetrate human skin by about 2 millimeters, so the team's imaging technique provides a clear 3D map of the scanned lesions

The next step is to package the team's diagnostic kits into integrated circuits, a step that could soon lead to the production of practical handheld millimeter-wave diagnostic devices for as little as $100 each -- the cost of existing hospital-grade diagnostic equipment a small part of

Tavassolian: “The path forward is clear, we know what we need to do

Amir Mirbeik, Robin Ashinoff, Tannya Jong, Allison Aued, Negar Tavassolian.