New device can detect breast cancer by saliva

Mexico - The detection of breast cancer early favors their treatment, so that a team of the Technological Center of Monterrey (Mexico) develops a device to facilitate this process through saliva.

With the sensor embedded in an ultrathin film -of about two microns thick and ten millimeters length-, the device is capable of detecting a protein known as Cerb-b2.

This protein, which is located in the saliva is developed by "a very broad group of women" who have breast cancer in the early periods, explains Efe the head of research, the doctor Joaquin Esteban Peña Oseguera.

The advantage of this method is that anticipates the detection of the disease even in women who perform self-test, since the test runs when the tumor is measured in microns -having a thousand times smaller than can be detected when manually.

The Cerb-b2 appears in approximately 98% of women with breast cancer.

With this system "immediately could be decided if there is this protein and, consequently, what are the odds that the person is developing breast cancer," Oseguera said, who leads a research group of eight people on the campus of the State of Mexico the university.

"The fundamental idea the medico-continuous is that the device can be accessible to the general public, especially in remote areas or difficult access to more sophisticated teams."

According to the doctor, it is "likely" that the idea of ​​a device like this can be extended to other types of cancer linked to other proteins, although it would need "base it studies."

For now, the research team contacted "only at a preliminary level" with some public hospitals in the area, and in about a year will have made all the additional development that will perform tests with patients.