A New Tech Alert for the Dot plot at-home Breast Health Monitoring Tool for Monthly breast self-checks
Founders
By Dr. Lawrence Jones II
In the United Kingdom, Dyson (September 7, 2022) reports that "winners of the UK James Dyson Award 2022, Debra Babalola and Shefali Bohra, designed a device to assist women in performing monthly breast self-checks to identify any potentially suspicious lumps or abnormalities within breast tissue." Dyson (September 7, 2022) is fully aware that breast cancer is a global issue, and the concern continues to grow to fully catch cancer early on for a greater likelihood of survival. Cancer Research UK (2022) reports that there were an estimated 11,500 breast cancer deaths last year in the United Kingdom, roughly 32 every day. Unfortunately, breast cancer is currently the 2nd most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
The motivation for creating the Dotplot is to increase self-examinations regularly. If breast cancer is detected at the earliest stage, most women survive, emphasizing early detection. As of 2019, breast cancer became the leading cause of cancer death for Black women in the United Kingdom. American Cancer Society (February 14, 2022) states that as a whole, "Black people are more likely to die from most cancers and to live the shortest amount of time after a cancer diagnosis than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Black women are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women, despite being less likely to be diagnosed with it." Structural racisms and health literacy are at the root of the problem.
In the Dotplot, users are taken through a one-time onboarding on the app. This includes entering the details of their period cycle if present and offering the correct date for their self-check. The app users build a personalized torso map by providing their bra size and breast shape and sliding the handheld device to rescale the baseline model. The app guides women through the self-check by showing which areas they need to scan. A sound signal is emitted to record the tissue composition at each site. The user needs to check flashes on the app until a reading has been taken. Each month's reading is compared to the previously recorded lessons to highlight any abnormalities developing in the tissue. Users will be notified of any suspicious changes compared to the previous month and advised to visit a healthcare professional for further investigation.
References:
American Cancer Society. (February 14, 2022). More Black Women Die from Breast Cancer Than Any Other Cancer. 2022 Cancer Facts & Figures Cancer for African American/Black People | More Black Women Die from Breast Cancer Than Any Other Cancer
Cancer Research UK statistics. (2016-18). Breast cancer statistics | Cancer Research UK
Dotplot. (2022). Dotplot is an at-home breast health monitoring tool designed for women to conduct self-checks with confidence and flag abnormalities in breast tissue. Dotplot | James Dyson Award
Dyson. (September 7, 2022). Bumps or lumps? How two students are trying to beat breast cancer. Dyson.com | Introducing Dotplot: the winner of the UK James Dyson Award 2022