Cancer-Detecting Bra Could One Day Surpass Mammograms In Accuracy

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Cancer-Detecting Bra Could One Day Surpass Mammograms In Accuracy

Posted by samzenpus on Monday October 15, 2012 @07:40AM from the doctor-clothes dept.

fangmcgee writes "Reno-based First Warning Systems is working on a new bra that could detect if you are developing breast cancer. Integrated sensors and a data controller regularly monitor your breasts and can watch for irregularities which may signal the growth of tumors. Tests so far are showing that the bra is far superior and may be able to detect cancerous growth up to 6 years sooner than self-exams or mammograms."

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Victoria has a secret by Eightbitgnosis · 2012-10-15 07:44 · Score: 5, Funny

but the secret is now cancer :(
1. Re:Victoria has a secret by Rei · 2012-10-15 08:52 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  What I'm wondering is, what is the concept here, that you wear the same bra every day? Or do you have a dozen separate anti-cancer bras, and if so, how expensive are these things expected to be? And how do you wash them? And when they wear out, does the data transfer to the next bra? Does it have to be recalibrated? Does it come in different types (for example, some people prefer underwire, some hate them)? Will I have to plug in and charge my bra every day?
  Just seeing some potential real-life challenges here...
  
  --
  People said I was dumb, but I proved them.
2. Re:Victoria has a secret by aardwolf64 · 2012-10-15 08:56 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  From the article, around $1,000 each and only for high risk patients.
  Still, they don't don't have to be worn every day... what kind of granularity do you want? You could wear it once a week and still be way ahead of the game.
3. Re:Victoria has a secret by LifesABeach · 2012-10-15 09:08 · Score: 2
  
  I was wondering about other forms of Cancer, but I refuse to wear a bra around my rear to check to see if I have Prostrate Cancer!
4. Re:Victoria has a secret by Belial6 · 2012-10-15 10:05 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Good news! It's a suppository!
5. Re:Victoria has a secret by denzacar · 2012-10-15 10:19 · Score: 2
  
  From the video, the bra itself is just the housing for the sensors.
  So they could probably have it as a washable insert to the regular bras.
  Regarding the data, it all gets "uploaded to the internet" where it gets analyzed, so it does not depend on one particular bra or insert.
  As for plugging it in, my guess is that it is much more likely going to run on disposable "button cell" batteries, for safety and convenience reasons.
  Being that a Li-Ion, wrapped in cloth and recharged over and over may not be the safest thing in the world to carry strapped to ones breasts.
  And I don't think that it will need much calibration for a single user.
  At least the original sports bra model shouldn't, as it is basically a housing for an array of heat sensors.
  When one part of the array starts getting warmer by some percentage that means new blood vessels, which indicate existence of new tissue growth inside the breast, which is probably cancer.
  So, moving the sensor array around a few centimeters won't make much of a difference cause the distance between the sensors doesn't change and cause they are measuring the heat of a wider area from several points and not a single spot per sensor.
  I.e. It does not look at the heat of a single cell, but of the entire breast.
  
  --
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6. Re:Victoria has a secret by bkaul01 · 2012-10-16 02:02 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, he's just gonna take it lying down.
special request by Sparticus789 · 2012-10-15 07:46 · Score: 2

Please add Bluetooth connectivity. That way, I can figure out my date's cup size without staring at her chest all night.

--
sudo make me a sandwich
1. Re:special request by csnydermvpsoft · 2012-10-15 07:47 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  If you stopped staring at her chest, maybe she'd eventually give you the chance to examine her bra more closely...
2. Re:special request by game+kid · 2012-10-15 07:56 · Score: 2
  
  "You know, I would love to get naked for you, but my doctor told me that if I take the bra off I might get false breast cancer detection results. No, really, it's not you, it's my bra."
  (Now they just need to make the cervical cancer detection panty and humanity will never have sex again!)
  
  --
  You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
3. Re:special request by phantomfive · 2012-10-15 14:20 · Score: 2
  
  BTW, am I the only person here who ever made a User's Guide to yourself for potential dating partners? ;)
  
  No, you're not.
  Are you lonely, though? Interested? Pretty? I promise you, I have full Unicode support.....
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
I support by Dyinobal · 2012-10-15 07:47 · Score: 3, Informative

I support watching breasts.
Well, I never! by Anubis+IV · 2012-10-15 07:48 · Score: 3, Funny

Integrated sensors and a data controller regularly monitor your breasts and can watch for irregularities which may signal the growth of tumors.
Look, I know I could stand to shed a few pounds, but I don't think I'm anywhere close to the point where a bra would be entering the picture.
Misread that by rot26 · 2012-10-15 07:49 · Score: 5, Funny

At first I thought it said "bro". My bad.

--

To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
1. Re:Misread that by mcmonkey · 2012-10-15 08:05 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  At first I thought it said "bro".
  It's the "manzier"!
Re:Next up...... by tjonnyc999 · 2012-10-15 07:54 · Score: 2

Bonus feature: WiFi connectivity with regular (pun intended) Facebook status updates.
Machine has a fatal flaw which reduces accuracy by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-15 07:58 · Score: 4, Interesting

This machine has a fatal flaw which will decrease it's maximum possible accuracy to only 96.8% (3.2% undetected): It will only be worn by women.
In all honesty... by zakkudo · 2012-10-15 08:00 · Score: 3, Insightful

If in high school guys were taught how to detect breast cancer, the detection rate would probably be quicker than even these bras. No joke. Everyone wants to protect the things they love ;-;
1. Re:In all honesty... by fermion · 2012-10-15 08:39 · Score: 2
  
  Seriously, we do need to learn to take care of each other and not constantly be afraid that someone, somewhere, might be doing something we object to. It is like the HPV vaccine. There is a battle not to give it to young people because they might have sex. Might, really? I think that was the reason we give it to them. It is not like there are not already multitudes of excuses. When I was growing up it was that the bible commanded us to go forth and procreate. Who needs an excuse beyond this?
  I must admit there is a wide range of maturity issues in boys, even those that are 18, and such a program while noble might not be feasible. If girls were treated equal and the male football or hockey or golf program were not treated as supirior to anything that girls did maybe we would have more success.
  
  --
  "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Idle by gnomff · 2012-10-15 08:29 · Score: 2

Why is this tagged as idle? It looks like a great idea for at risk women. I didn't realize this was /. - news for 6th graders.
I for one... by BradyB · 2012-10-15 08:29 · Score: 4, Funny

I for one welcome our under wire overlords.

--

Good is never enough, when you dream of being great!
6 years sooner to get on the pre-existing conditio by Joe_Dragon · 2012-10-15 08:43 · Score: 2

6 years sooner to get on the per-existing condition list under the GOP plan.
Up next DNA testing.
Re:Men by MyLongNickName · 2012-10-15 08:44 · Score: 5, Informative

A little more info
* Breast cancer is the second leading cancer killer of women, behind lung cancer
* Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer killer of men, behind lung cancer
* Death rate for prostate cancer is slightly higher in men than breast cancer is for women
* Median death age for breast cancer is 68, median death age for prostate is 80
* Prostate cancer tends to be detected later and develops slower.
* Prostate cancer is likely underreported because men don't go to Doctor as often.

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Who the hell would wear that? by sandytaru · 2012-10-15 08:51 · Score: 2

Seriously. It's a sports bra. You know when I wear sports bras? NEVER. Because they are uncomfortable, ugly, and offer little actual support for anyone bigger than an A cup. For ladies with higher letters in the alphabet, it'd be a useless tank top. I'm glad TFA says it probably just needs to be worn a few hours a day. Maybe when I sleep at night (although my husband will probably grumble about that.)

--
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
1. Re:Who the hell would wear that? by Rei · 2012-10-15 09:16 · Score: 2
  
  I'd personally say it's more comfortable, although I sleep without one.
  
  --
  People said I was dumb, but I proved them.
Defective by design by RogueWarrior65 · 2012-10-15 09:20 · Score: 3, Funny

And teenage boys will still have trouble unhooking them.
Moore's law and economy of scale. by Ungrounded+Lightning · 2012-10-15 12:13 · Score: 2

From the article, around $1,000 each and only for high risk patients.
That's for initial deployment. With Moore's law, economy of scale, and amortization of development and regulatory costs, it could get a LOT cheaper after a few years. Especially if it becomes widely adopted.
Why stop with breasts? A body stocking could search for hot spots across nearly the whole surface of a person. Knitting machines upgraded to include a distribution of sensors and their wiring could make such a device quite inexpensively. (The electronic package could be re-used with multiple "suits".)
Still, they don't don't have to be worn every day... what kind of granularity do you want? You could wear it once a week and still be way ahead of the game.
Agree.

--
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Idiot by SmallFurryCreature · 2012-10-15 20:38 · Score: 2

Because cures for breast cancer don't work for prostate cancer of course.
But the main reason you don't see the same public attention is that the color for breast cancer is pink. The color for prostate cancer would be?
If you said brown, your the reason there are fewer public benefits, people snicker about the prostate to much. But cancer research isn't split on just curing breast cancer and leaving other cancers be. It is just that if you want to save the jungle, you focus on the fluffy cuddly animals that people want to hug and squeeze and then the ugly animals will have their habitat saved as well.
Donate to breast cancer and save your own ass. And don't snicker.

--

MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.