CURA Healthcare Launches World’s First-Ever Robotic, 360 degree Breast Thermography System
Chennai based medical device company, CURA Healthcare launched world’s first, robot-assisted digital 360 degree breast thermography device, an early breast cancer warning system for all age groups.
CURA’s illumina 3600 can detect breast anomalies several years ahead of prevalent breast cancer screening methods without causing pain due to compression, without non-ionizing radiation and without human touch.
illumina 3600 is designed, developed and manufactured in India with the support of BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
“With illumina 3600, we believe we have removed most of the barriers to early breast screening – pain, discomfort, radiation safety, and breast exposure. illumina 3600 detects disease years earlier than today’s conventional screening modalities and when it is addressable without invasive and painful procedures. We believe, our illumina can be a big game changer in breast healthcare and with it mass breast screening from early ages can be a reality now in India,” said M Bala, President and CEO of CURA Healthcare.
“illumine 3600 is co-created by women, leading healthcare providers and our experienced engineers to disrupt and transform the way breast screening and monitoring is done today. It represents CURA’s commitment to “Aarogya Bharath” through friendly, affordable and accessible technology solutions.” He added.
“We at BIRAC are here to stimulate, foster and enhance bio-tech innovation that can bridge existing healthcare gaps and improve lives of 1.3 billion Indians. This is a critical mandate of Government of India. We are pleased to announce the birth of one such innovation – CURA’s illumina 3600, to bridge one of the biggest gaps in the country – addressing the biggest killer disease of the country – Breast Cancer. We are proud to have been part of this disruptive innovation” said Dr Renu Swaroop, Managing Director, Bio-technology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Department of Bio-Technology, Government of India.
Today, India is staring at a breast cancer epidemic and large scale breast screening programs are non-existent in India. 1 in 28 women get breast cancer and 1 in 2 die due to late detection, making survival one of the lowest in the world. Early detection programs in developed countries have shown that early screening can help reverse the trend. In USA, 90% of the breast cancer patients lead a long, healthy life due to early detection and early intervention.
The breast is a highly complex and one of the most difficult to image human organ as it varies in symmetry, density, size and morphology. Breast tissue is unique due to the mechanism of the mammary vessels, fatty tissue and skin temperatures. Substantial changes could occur to this organ during hormonal changes and different stages of life. Measurement and studying of breast skin (skin is the largest organ of the body with maximum blood circulation- about 25%) temperature and its response to hot and cold challenges in a controlled environment plays an important role in early detection of breast anomalies. illumina 3600 can provide early insight into breast care through identification of early breast tissue changes. illumina images allow doctors to differentiate between normal and abnormal breast tissues that may develop or be caused by cysts, estrogen dominance, or fibrous tissue and potentially cancerous tissues.
Most cancerous tissues require greater degree of metabolic activity and vascular/blood circulation and hence will emit an increased regional temperature. The advanced ultra-sensitive infrared camera of illumina 3600 aided by an advanced robot can sense these variations through varying temperature patterns and help detect tissue changes over time. The extreme sensitivity and 360 degree coverage together with advanced digital processing can help detect the earliest thermal signs suggesting pre-cancerous stage of breast tissues or the presence of a tumor that is not yet large enough to be detected by physical examinations, and structural imaging tools.
A traditional mammography system can detect breast cancer only when it reaches a cluster of 4 billion cells or the size of a grape or 1 CM size. illumina 3600 produces these early warning signs at over 97% accuracy without compressing the breast, radiation and any discomfort to the patient making it very attractive for women of all age groups. illumina 3600 can be used for unlimited, repeated exams as it does not emit radiation and is safe. Breast thermography is approved by FDA as an adjunct screening method to current standard of mammography.
“illumina 3600 ushers in a new age in breast care. illumina 3600 is like a thermometer for the breast health assessment. The high sensitivity camera of illumina 3600 can detect the minutest heat changes in the breast to indicate the presence of anomalies at cellular levels. A mammography or ultrasound imaging can re-confirm its findings and together, it can be a life saver for all women as the detection takes place years in advance and preventive measures can be taken,” said Dr Sandeep Jaipurkar, Radiologist, Vijaya Health Centre and Breast Clinic, Chennai.” Dr Sandeep Jaipurkar was one of the key partners in development of CURA’s illumina 3600 and principal clinical partner for over 5 years with 5000 case studies.
“Many of my patients tell me that mammography is painful experience. illumina 3600 can attract all those women who found the pain, radiation risk, touch and breast exposure a major deterrent in opting for the screening exam,” said Prof Kalpana, Radiologist, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital who acted as a key partner in clinical investigations using CURA’s illumina 3600.
“It humanizes the mammography experience by increasing comfort and reducing patient anxiety just as in a spa. With illumina’s capability to provide 3600 view of early breast tissue changes and intelligent analysis, we believe breast cancer cannot hide any more. The system’s potential to help increase the number of annual screening exams is a critical advancement in women’s healthcare,” said N Kannan, Head, New Product Development at CURA Healthcare.
