Device sheds light on breast cancer checks thanks to award cash

Published on Wednesday 30 July 2008 22:19

A DEVICE to help women examine their breasts at home has been developed with the help of Scottish Government funding, it emerged yesterday.

The Breastlight, manufactured by PWB Health, in Dumbarton, involves shining a bright red light through the breast to show up any changes, such as lumps which may be cancer.

The product, which has just gone on the market, was developed using a grant of 165,000 from the Smart:Scotland awards scheme.

But cancer charities questioned the benefits of the 79 device, saying that women did not need complex equipment to be aware of changes in their breasts.

The hand-held device works by shining a strong, harmless light through the breast. The light passes through the tissue and reveals dark areas where blood is present, which means it shows up veins.

But if there is a dark cluster, the developers say this is a potential abnormality that should be checked out by a doctor.

The Scottish Government funding was used to help develop a prototype of the Breastlight. Over the six months to the end of March this year, 4 million was awarded to small and medium-sized businesses like PWB Health to help them develop projects.

Yesterday, John Swinney, the finance secretary, visited PWB Health and said the awards had an important role to play in making Scotland a more innovative and attractive place to do business.

Jim Hall, of PWB Health, said the firm was delighted to receive the award from the Scottish Government last year. He said: "It gave the company an additional boost at a crucial stage in the development of the Breastlight."

PWB Health points out that Breastlight is not a replacement for a mammogram and encourages women to attend screening when invited.

Earlier this month, a review of research by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that encouraging women to examine themselves systematically for signs of breast cancer did not reduce deaths from the disease.

In the UK women are encouraged to be "breast aware" – getting to know what looks and feels normal for them rather than following a rigid checking regime.

Dr Sarah Cant, policy manager at the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "There is no need for women to follow a complicated routine or use any special equipment to check their breasts as there is currently no proof they work.

"We encourage all women to be breast aware by getting to know how their breasts look and feel normally so they can notice any unusual changes."

Antonia Dean, of Breast Cancer Care, said the device could make people believe that lumps were the only signs of breast cancer.

"Currently, there is no proof or sufficient clinical evidence that the Breastlight product results in earlier detection of breast cancer, increases survival or is any more helpful than the normal practice of being breast aware," she said.