The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is interested in developing a generation of user friendly, low-cost, portable technologies with the potential to detect, evaluate, diagnose, and treat cancer in low resource settings.
As reported, many recently developed technologies appear to have this potential and recent developments in consumer electronics, micro-fabrication, cellular phone communication, and hand-held computers show prospects that could be adapted into sensitive low cost versions suitable for use in remote locations.
Several possible technologies might include lab-on-a-chip and biosensor technologies along with point-of-care analytical tools to use to obtain blood, saliva, and urine samples. Also under consideration is optical imaging, spectroscopy, and ultrasound for use in resource-limited settings.
Technology to provide treatments such as cryotherapy has been approved by the World Health Organization. Other portable, minimally invasive treatment methods that could be used include laser therapy, radio frequency ablation, low power density sonication, high intensity focused ultrasound, and photodynamic therapy. However, there is limited data on the effectiveness of these approaches in low resource settings.
NCI is also interested in telemedicine approaches that could increase the widespread use of mobile phones in low resource areas. Examples include lens free microscopy, digital image processing to produce remote diagnoses, and devices that expand the functionality of mobile phones and tablets.
Developing these targeted ultrasound and light-based treatments would also enable providers with less specialized training to teat more patients for less money. Tools for monitoring chemotherapy patients at home between treatments could eliminate travel and office visits. Mobile health strategies for collecting data about high-risk populations could lead to new interventions that could be used to directly impact cancer screening rates.