{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5f6d255160ea8a34d0a7fde6/632660d6a3d94600121784b9?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Debra Babalola & Shefali Bohra","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5f6d255160ea8a34d0a7fde6/1663459355666-e1100dab20316886e7f8d40fe7bea7dc.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>A device to help detect breast cancer has won the prestigious UK James Dyson Award.</p><p><br></p><p>The Dotplot aims to help women self-check at home and track any changes they may find on an app.</p><p><br></p><p>Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK but many women do not carry out regular self-examinations.</p><p>Medical professionals have welcomed the invention but warn it is no substitute for going to the doctor.</p><p><br></p><p>Users build a personalised map of their torso by inputting their breast size and shape and pressing the handheld device over their chest.</p><p><br></p><p>Once a month, soundwaves are used to record tissue composition - and if there are any suspicious changes or abnormalities, users are advised to see a healthcare professional.</p><p><br></p><p>The technology is very similar to mammograms for those over-50s or ultrasound scans offered to women worried about a lump.</p><p><br></p><p>Oncologist Dr Frankie Jackson-Spence said: \"Obviously, it's in the early stages of development, so it does need to go through medicine regulatory device checks to make sure that it is actually adequate at detecting breast cancers.</p><p>\"It isn't a substitute for going to your doctor - it doesn't diagnose anything.\"</p><p><br></p><h2>Survival rate</h2><p><br></p><p>The earlier cancerous tissue is detected, the better.</p><p><br></p><p>The five-year survival rate for stage-one breast cancer is about 95%, which drops to about 25% by the time the cancer is in stage four.</p><p>Every year, there are 11,500 breast-cancer deaths in the UK.</p><p><br></p><p>Only 1% of cases are in males.</p><p><br></p><p>But 64% of women aged 18-35 fail to regularly check their breasts, according to Cancer Research UK and CoppaFeel.</p><p><br></p><p>\"It's important that you check all over the breast - including up into the armpit and up to the collarbone,\" Dr Jackson-Spence said.</p><p><br></p><h2>Nipple discharge</h2><p><br></p><p>But it is not just about looking for lumps.</p><p><br></p><p>Manjeet Basra well-being head at charity Breast Cancer Now, told BBC News: \"There are other signs of the disease to look for.</p><p>\"These include nipple discharge or dimpling or puckering of the skin of the breast.</p><p><br></p><p>\"While most breast changes, including lumps, won't be cancer, it's important to contact your GP as soon as possible if you notice a change to your breast that's new or unusual for you, as the sooner breast cancer is found, the more successful treatment is likely to be.\"</p><p><br></p><p>Debra Babalola and Shefali Bohra, recent innovation design engineering graduates at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art, co-founded Dotplot, after Ms Bohra discovered an unusual knot - which turned out to be harmless - in one of her breasts following a gym workout.</p><p><br></p><p>\"We just started to talk to clinicians and we spoke to loads of women,\" she said.</p><p><br></p><p>\"We realised that women are looking for a way that not only tells them what has to be done but also teaches them how and why breast self-checks and supposed to be conducted.</p><p><br></p><p>Ms Babalola said: \"We're not replacing medical professionals, we are enabling women to be confident in the self-checks they are doing.\"</p><p><br></p><p>Dot plot will now progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award, with the winner announced on 16 November.</p><p><br></p><p>The award describes itself as an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers.</p><p>One in five inventors from the award goes on to commercialise their inventions.</p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Shout Radio"}