Scientists are developing a sensor - family doctors can detect skin cancer

Scientists are working on developing a fast, portable sensor that will be able to detect skin cancer through the chemicals it releases, and that could already be used in the primary care doctor's office.

A team of experts from Bournemouth University and Dorset University Hospital launched a three-year study at British hospital Poole to investigate how to create a rapid sensor that would not require specialist training.

"Skin cancer can often be difficult to diagnose," explained a university spokesperson, noting that it is now known that areas affected by skin cancer emit volatile organic compounds, organic chemicals that evaporate easily.

"The goal of our study is to identify these volatile organic compounds, which are specific to skin cancer, and to develop a fast, portable device that can detect them quickly," he said.

“Patients who suspect they may have skin cancer are usually first referred to their primary care physician. His task is to visually assess whether it is cancer, before deciding whether to send the patient for further specialist checks", said the leader of the study, Richard Paul, professor of bioanalytical chemistry at the same university, adding that "skin cancer can often be difficult to diagnose, therefore the rate of sending patients for specialized treatment is quite high", he added.

"Our research is oriented towards the development of a fast, specific sensor for the detection of skin cancer, which can be applied immediately. This sensor would enable rapid detection of skin cancer in the primary care physician's office, facilitating and improving patient triage and would undoubtedly improve patient outcomes," Paul stated.

This project is a continuation of a pilot study, where a customized device was developed to extract volatile organic chemicals from skin cancer patients, and it can also be used during routine check-ups, enabling the earliest detection of potential biomarkers, organic chemicals that are released at the site of skin cancer.

"It is important to note that our study enabled a non-invasive approach to collect volatile organic chemicals from skin cancer patients," said the professor.

"The additional funding we recently received will enable us to confirm this new approach through a large three-year clinical study with skin cancer patients and begin work on developing a new portable technology that will be able to detect this type of skin cancer already at the level of primary care. Considering that the use of this tool will not require special training, it can be used by a wide range of health workers in primary care, including nurses", emphasized Paul. /Telegraph/