They’ve developed a saliva test that can detect breast cancer in five seconds.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in SpainGetty Images

Prevention Awareness mammary cancer this is the key. According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the evidence is clear. In 2023, 35,001 new cases were diagnosed. in our country they are most common in women and are ahead of other tumors, especially between the ages of 45 and 65 years, the age group with the highest incidence. Now a group of researchers has developed device I could detect breast cancer biomarkers using a saliva sample in just five seconds.

Inexpensive saliva test can detect breast cancer in just seconds

According to the Cancer Research Center for 2021, Breast cancer is the most diagnosed tumor in the world, ahead of lung cancer. In Spain alone, about 30% of cancers diagnosed in women occur in the breast.

How does the device work?

The device was developed by researchers from the University of Florida and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, publishing their research in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, and uses paper test strips treated with specific antibodies that interact with cancer biomarkers. specific.

How it works? On the strip should be placed saliva sample and then a series of pulses of electricity are applied to the contact points of the device. These pulses cause the biomarkers to bind to the antibodies, changing the charge on the electrode, causing a change in the output signal.

Thus, with just a drop of saliva you can achieve quite accurate results with positive results in their tests on women, where they clearly distinguished between healthy and cancer patients.

Innovative test

The main motivation for this progress is that it puts ahead of other alternatives in detection breast cancer tests, such as mammography or magnetic resonance imaging, which are more invasive and expensive, require special equipment, little exposure to radiation, and take several days to report results.

For its part, this device budget thanks to the materials used, available in any hospital. “This is a great option because it is portable and reusable. He test time less than five seconds per sample, which makes it very effective,” explained one of the project’s principal investigators, Xiao-Hsuan Wang. His price? It could have cost everything about five euros.

New forms of detection

In recent years, new methods for detecting cancer have emerged through various studies. One of the latest and most innovative is Blood analysis This is stated in a study published in The Lancet. This is a liquid blood biopsy that shows remnants of tumor DNA, very valuable information for oncologists.

This is a technique that can apply in different ways. In cases where metastases are present, mutations can be detected and surgery can be used to determine how the patient will respond to surgery. During chemotherapy treatment, it is also important to measure tumor DNA and possible relapses.