The HypoSens project, responsible for the development of a device for real-time detection of metastatic breast cancer, celebrated an event in Madrid to present the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of these tumors
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1 in 8 Spaniards will suffer breast cancer throughout their lives.
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HypoSens (diagnostic imaging) technology could become the alternative to biopsy, the usual surgical procedure for the detection of breast cancer metastasis.
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The event took place within the framework of the “Innova Health” congress (October 29, Madrid).
Cancer metastasis is responsible for 90% of deaths related to this disease. It occurs when some tumor cells escape the primary tumor and travel through the blood and / or lymphatic systems to establish themselves in another organ.
In breast cancer (the most common among women), metastasis occurs primarily through the lymphatic system. If the cancer is diagnosed before the tumor cells have spread to other organs, the probability of survival is 97%. Lymph nodes closest to a tumor (known as sentinel lymph nodes) are the most likely route of arrival of cancer cells to the lymphatic system. Therefore, identifying the presence of cancer cells in these nodes, before they have spread to other organs, is essential to increase survival rates.
HypoSens: A minimally invasive technology for early and real-time detection of metastatic breast cancer
Currently, the usual procedure for the detection of metastatic breast cancer is known as sentinel lymph node biopsy (better known by its acronym in English, SLNB). However, this technique has several drawbacks: it requires invasive surgery, it can give false negatives in 5-10% of cases and the result is not immediate since it requires a histological analysis of the samples.
In this sense, the HypoSens project addresses the real clinical need for a low-cost, easy-to-use, safe and minimally invasive imaging technique that helps oncologists and other professionals accurately detect metastatic breast cancer.
The HypoSens device will help the oncologist to establish the presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes near the breast without having to perform a biopsy (thus avoiding the adverse effects it has for the patient) and to offer a more accurate and faster diagnosis, which Accelerate the proper application of a personalized treatment.
It will also allow a significant decrease in diagnostic costs associated with the progression of metastatic breast cancer.
HypoSens presented its results in the event “Breast Cancer and MedTech insights: shaping the future”
Currently, the prototype of the HypoSens device is in the Center for Biomedical Research of La Rioja (CIBIR), where tests are being performed in vivo in mice and ex vivo in lymph node biopsies of patients with breast cancer.
The latest results of the project have been presented on October 29 at an event of its own in the framework of the “Innova Health” congress, where the latest advances in the development of diagnostic techniques and treatment of breast cancer also have been discussed.