An Israeli psychologist has reportedly developed a radical new technology which would enable an ordinary mobile phone to diagnose breast cancer and various type of heart disease. By installing new software and adding a basic infrared camera, a mobile phone could be transformed into a highly-effective diagnostic tool, offering far more accurate results than the self-checks many women do themselves, the Haaretz daily reported.
Dr Nitzan Yaniv, who developed the technology, said the results of the scan could be immediately transferred to a medical laboratory for analysis, which could determine whether further checks were necessary.
The infrared camera uses two techniques, both of which have proven effective in diagnosing breast cancer: one which analyzes temperature differences in different parts of the breast, while the other analyses oxygen flow to areas of the breast.
Israeli phone operator Cellcom is currently working to integrate the infrared sensor technology into the cameras currently built into many mobile handsets.
Yaniv said he was first exposed to the benefits of infrared photography while working with biofeedback -- a therapy which trains a patient to control certain bodily functions which are usually unconscious, such as blood pressure or heart rate.
Biofeedback therapy can help patients control conditions such as high blood pressure, migraines or epilepsy, with infrared cameras used to show data about the patient's physical state.
With the cameras attached and the software installed, the mobile phone is transformed into the affordable equivalent of a biofeedback machine, Yaniv said.
The device, which is still under development, has yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Soroka medical centre in the southern city of Beersheva is now testing the device's ability to detect heart problems as well as breast cancer.
