Vernieuwingsprijs voor borstkanker-opsporing
Een instrument om veiliger en makkelijker borstkanker op te sporen bij vrouwen, de TISENO, heeft vandaag de Sociale Innovatie-prijs gewonnen. Deze prijs is onderdeel van het traject Sociale Innovatie van het ministerie van VWS.
Meest vernieuwend
De jury beoordeelde de TISENO als ‘het meest innovatieve initiatief in de sector van medische producten om via externe contacten vernieuwing te bevorderen’. Het instrument is ontwikkeld door Kleeven Medical en wordt nu al in Duitsland gebruikt. Kleeven is bezig dit ook voor Nederland te realiseren.
Meer informatie over het traject Sociale Innovatie staat op de website van het Zorginnovatieplatform
Bron: VWS
TISENO® captures a high-resolution thermal pattern of the breast. The patented technology operates a precise cooling process that lowers the temperature on the surface of the breast skin. During the following warming phase the configuration of the breast’s thermal pattern is depicted. Diffuse skin temperature is cooled off which permits an enhancement of the temperature changes in the diseased tissue. Contrasts in the thermal pattern become more distinct and increase the ability for diagnosis. Suspicious areas are also better identified.
This is of significant importance in the early stages of cancer growth when a definite diagnosis through ultrasound or mammograms is not yet possible. The wehberGraphie® allows a much earlier diagnosis of potential ‘hot spots’ that may lead to breast cancer. The device also allows for specific and definitive tracking of therapeutic interventions such as chemotherapy. The examination lasts only a few minutes and can be carried out by medical technologists
Proper temperature control is crucial for the standardization and repeatability of the readings. During the cooling process the system recognizes the complete blackening of the display that happens according to the speed at which the breast temperature changes. The cooling down is then automatically discontinued and the photographic process started. Thus the thermo-sensitive colour pattern is captured exactly when the warmest areas of the breast surface have reached the temperature at which the display no longer shows colour. Since the thermal pattern of a healthy breast is unalterable like a fingerprint, the series of photographs taken during the subsequent warming phase are depicted exactly the same each time. The warmest spots are the first to be clearly defined on the black background and that way variable disturbances on the breast temperatures are cooled off.
Changes in the thermal pattern are evidence of an underlying medical condition. They can provide, for instance, clues to the response of a carcinoma to chemotherapy.