India's handheld breast cancer scanner crosses 25 lakh screenings: Could this be a game changer for early detection?

An India-developed handheld breast examination device, iBreastExam (iBE), has now been used for more than 25 lakh breast screening scans across the country since its introduction in 2016, according to UE LifeSciences (India), the company behind the technology. 

The device, which is designed to aid early detection of clinically relevant breast abnormalities without radiation or compression, has been deployed across government medical colleges, district hospitals and community screening programmes, particularly in rural and resource-limited settings.

According to the company, more than 1,600 women have been referred for further diagnostic evaluation after positive findings on the device. 

The screening technology has been used in hospitals across Maharashtra, including St George Hospital, Cama and Albless Hospital, JJ Hospital, BJ Medical College-Sassoon Hospital, Government Medical College Nagpur, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Latur, Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Solapur and several other government institutions.

Unlike mammography, the battery-operated device does not use X-rays. Instead, it employs a sensor-based examination that detects differences in the mechanical properties of breast tissue, making it particularly suitable for outreach programmes where access to mammography is limited. The examination is painless, takes only a few minutes and can be performed by trained healthcare workers. It is mobile, convenient to handle and use and can even be used by women at home, in the office, etc. 

The technology has been evaluated in several Indian studies published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international scientific meetings. A 2019 study in the Annals of Oncology, involving 916 women, found that iBreastExam demonstrated a negative predictive value of 98 per cent and identified all malignant lesions detected during the study, while showing particular promise among women younger than 40 years with dense breasts—a group in whom mammography can have reduced sensitivity.

Another clinical validation study published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research reported an overall sensitivity of 87.98 per cent and specificity of 93.79 per cent for detecting breast lumps, concluding that the device was highly specific, especially in younger women with dense breast tissue.

Research presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (2020) highlighted the device's role in a community-based breast cancer screening programme in Kannur, Kerala. The study, which screened 3,247 women, concluded that while iBreastExam was a useful preliminary screening tool capable of increasing participation in early detection programmes, it should not replace established breast cancer screening modalities such as mammography and diagnostic imaging.

Another validation study comparing iBreastExam with clinical breast examination found that the two methods had excellent negative predictive value as triage tools for clinically relevant breast lesions. Researchers suggested that the technology could serve as an adjunct to clinical breast examination and point-of-care ultrasound in resource-constrained settings.

Breast cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Indian women, with experts repeatedly stressing that delayed diagnosis remains a major reason for poor outcomes. While mammography continues to be the gold standard for population screening in eligible women, its availability remains limited in many parts of the country because of cost, infrastructure requirements and the need for specialised personnel.

Developers say the portable device is intended to bridge this gap by helping frontline healthcare workers identify women who require further evaluation, thereby improving access to early detection in remote areas. However, clinicians emphasise that a positive result on iBreastExam is not a diagnosis of cancer and must be followed by appropriate imaging and, where necessary, biopsy. Similarly, women with persistent breast symptoms should seek medical evaluation even if the screening result is normal.

With breast cancer incidence continuing to rise in India, technologies that can complement existing screening pathways may help expand access to early detection, particularly in underserved populations where conventional screening infrastructure remains inadequate.