They are the
saviour of female joggers everywhere and have the ability to hold men in their
thrall. But
now the humble brassiere could have another - and much more vital - role to
play.
Catching the cancer early is crucial to survival rate - and the efficacy of
traditional annual mammograms as a reliable detection method is being
called into question, with tumours beginning to form up to six years before
they can be detected using mammograms.
First
Warning Systems believe their device will play be able to detect tumours early
on and reduce the rate of false positives and negatives - thereby
helping women seek treatment as soon as possible following a diagnosis.
The
invention takes the form of a sensor that is placed inside the undergarment
where it will measure any changes in cell temperature caused by the blood
vessel growth associated with tumours as they develop.
Medcitynews.com reported that the sensor will
also contain software that uses pattern recognition, chronology and artificial
intelligence to look for changes in breast tissue that might indicate a
tumour was present