The researchers from the Guru Nanak Institute of Dental Sciences in West Bengal have created a new method to detect oral cancers.

About the new technology

• It differentiates the cancerous stages and precancerous stages. The differentiation is done through high – standard biopsy reports.
• The team has created a new imaging device. The device screens the cancerous stage by measuring the blood flow rate in the tissues.
• The device is a blood perfusion imager. It uses a humidity sensor, infrared camera and a software engine. The software engine is controlled electronically.

Need for the technology

Around a fifth of the women population suffers from cancer. Also, oral cancer is the most common type among men in India. More than 11.28% of cancers are oral cancers. Oral cancers are one of the common cause of morbidity in socially challenged communities. If detected earlier, there are chances of five year survival. In more advanced stages, the survival rate drops to 65%.

Benefits of the technology

Advanced stages of oral cancer can be detected easily. The cost of the device is 500 USD. This it can be made available in community health centres in rural areas. India has high numbers of oral cancers mainly because of tobacco. The tobacco chewing is the cause of 80% of oral cancers in India. In the last decade, the incidence of oral cancer has increased among the young adults and women.