The same technology that scans your body during airport security screenings may be able to diagnose skin cancer (hopefully it involves much shorter lines).
Today, Anis Rahman, PhD, and chief technology officer at Applied Research and Phonetics, Inc. presented research at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, explaining how a type of radiation (terahertz radiation, or “T-rays”) can detect early signs of melanoma.
While moles are the telltale signs of skin cancer, malignant melanoma begins in your skin’s pigment-producing cells before you can even see any questionable spots. T-rays, the same radiation used by airport security, can be focused just beneath the skin, potentially allowing them to detect cancerous cells before the development of full-blown moles.
“The idea that we can harness different properties of light to detect skin cancer is very exciting,” says Ranella Hirsch, MD, past president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery and dermatologist in Boston. Any research that brings us closer to the early detection of melanoma (which is key to beating the disease) is heading in the right direction, she adds.
While experts agree that the technology has potential, more research needs to be done: “It still needs to undergo rigorous scrutiny for false results,” says Mary Lupo, MD, clinical professor at Tulane Medical School, and Prevention advisor. So for now, keep looking out for suspicious moles the old fashioned way.
More from Prevention: Is It A Beauty Mark Or Skin Cancer?Tags: News