Skin Cancer: Israeli Researchers Develop Noninvasive Technologies for Early Detection

It’s estimated that as many as 3 million people worldwide develop non-melanoma skin cancers each year, plus 132,000 melanomas (the most deadly kind). As with many cancers, early detection is key to survival. Researchers in Israel have developed new technologies that can detect skin cancer early, quickly, and accurately, without time-consuming, painful invasive procedures required.
 
Quote: “The technology developed by [Dr. Ophir] Aharon, called DOSI, or Differential Optical Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging, takes a deeper look at the interaction of light and tissue and detects changes in the way light penetrates the tissue when there is a distortion of the tissue — as happens when a cancer is developing or a cosmetic problem starts to emerge, explained Aharon. ‘The technology takes a picture of the lesion or the mole using three kinds of lightwaves — red, green, and blue.’ Aharon’s algorithm then analyzes the differences in the interaction between the light and the tissue, detecting abnormalities.”
 
Quote: “One of the reasons this new technology is potentially revolutionary is that it gives dermatologists the means to visually diagnose potentially life-threatening cases of skin cancer instantly and non-invasively without the need for a biopsy and further diagnosis by a pathologist. This will save doctors and patients valuable time that can be diverted to treatment. ‘Melanoma is a life-threatening cancer, so it is very important to diagnose it early on, when it is still superficial,’ said [Prof. Abraham] Katzir, adding that the new technology has the potential to cause ‘dramatic change’ in the field of diagnosing and treating skin cancer, ‘and perhaps other types of cancer as well.’ ”
 
Sources: The Times of Israel and Israel21c.org (introduction and quotations)
 
Learn more about skin cancer. ►
 
Read “After mother gets ill, son develops early skin cancer-detecting device” ►
 
Read “Scientist develops instant non-invasive cancer detection tech ” ►
 
Photo: Medical News Today
 
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