New saliva test promises to detect breast cancer in 5 seconds Science and health

Nearly 73,000 cases of breast cancer were confirmed in Brazil last year, with an estimated risk of 66.54 for every 110,000 women with the disease, according to data from the National Cancer Institute.

To facilitate the detection of this type of cancer, researchers from Florida and Taiwan, in… Study published Tuesday (12)He developed a device capable of identifying breast cancer in a person with a single drop of saliva.

The test uses a strip similar to that used to detect diabetes, which, after coming into contact with the patient's saliva and antibody solutions, is connected to an electronic device that detects levels of proteins found in greater quantities in people with breast cancer. It takes about 5 seconds to read and complete the analysis with this device.

The device, which costs about $5, is a non-invasive, low-cost alternative to mammography, the most common test to detect the disease. In 2023, there was a 26% increase in serious cases of breast cancer in Brazil due to a decrease in the number of mammograms during the pandemic, according to data from the Brazilian Society of Breast Medicine.

“The simplicity of the process and the potential for widespread general use in the future make this strategy a powerful tool for detecting breast cancer at an early stage,” the researchers wrote.

Other innovations and technologies are increasing the detection rate and allowing breast cancer to be detected years before it appears in the body. A study published in the scientific journal The Lancet showed that artificial intelligence, for example, could help detect 20% more cases of breast cancer than tests performed by doctors alone.

Gabriela Guido, supervised by Marisa Adan Gil