A portable ultrasound device that lets people screen for breast cancer at home without medical help has been developed. Given that interval cancers that emerge between regular hospital checkups account for one-fifth of all breast cancer cases, the portable device is expected to catch cancers early and raise the chance of a cure. It also allows breast cancer patients to be monitored anytime, anywhere.
A research team led by Canan Dagdeviren of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab said on the 1st (local time) in the journal Nature Communications that it developed a portable ultrasound device that lets people without expertise easily check for breast cancer at home. Yoon Hyeok-jun, a doctoral candidate who graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, was listed as a co–first author along with three other researchers.
◇Processing data in a smartphone-sized module
The portable ultrasound device developed by the MIT team consists of an ultrasound probe shaped like a supermarket barcode scanner and an image acquisition and processing module that is slightly larger than a smartphone. When this system is connected to a laptop computer, users can view 3D images immediately. In Feb., the team said it used the device to scan just two spots on the breast of a 71-year-old woman and found a cyst.
The ultrasound probe placed on the body contains a piezoelectric element that changes shape when current flows. When the piezoelectric element vibrates, it emits ultrasound at a frequency too high for people to hear. The computer calculates the time and intensity of the ultrasound that travels into the body and reflects back from regions with different density and stiffness to generate real-time 3D images.
In particular, this ultrasound probe adds a backing layer to block noise. A piezoelectric element vibrates when it receives an electrical signal and emits ultrasound, but the vibration travels not only forward toward the subject but also backward. This creates reverberation that becomes noise. The team said the backing layer attached behind the piezoelectric element absorbs energy leaking backward and can improve the resolution of ultrasound images.
The researchers gave the portable device to 10 laypeople and asked them to find tiny targets embedded in a breast model. Participants achieved a higher target detection success rate than when using a conventional hospital ultrasound probe. The team also developed an on-screen interface that guides users to place the probe in the correct position. When seven people used this interface, they were always able to place the probe accurately, the team said.
◇Potential to prevent interval cancers missed by regular screening
Dagdeviren, who is from Türkiye, began developing the portable device after losing an aunt to breast cancer in 2015. The aunt had interval cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.3 million people worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and more than 685,000 died. Interval cancers account for 20% to 30% of all breast cancer cases.
Despite undergoing regular screenings, Dagdeviren's aunt was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer at 49 and died six months later. If there had been an easy-to-use device available between regular checkups, the outcome could have been different. When caught early, breast cancer survival approaches 100%, but if found late, survival drops to 25%.
For portable breast screening, Dagdeviren chose ultrasound rather than X-rays typically used in regular hospital screening. X-ray tests require large equipment and trained radiologic technologists and have limitations in examining dense breasts, which are common among Asian women.
Cancer tissue with calcification is denser, like bone, so X-rays pass through less and appear white on images. But when breast tissue is dense, it is harder to distinguish cancer cells. Asian women are more likely than those of European descent to have dense breasts. Among Korean women, 80% have dense breasts. X-ray tests also compress the breast, causing significant pain.
In 2023, the team developed a bra-shaped ultrasound device. They attached a patch with holes to a bra that also had honeycomb-like holes. A small ultrasound probe touches the skin through these holes. The team placed the probe on six holes in the bra to image the whole breast. This time, they achieved the same result by placing the probe on just two spots.
The team said it will develop an interface to link the ultrasound device with smartphones or tablets to further enhance portability. Dagdeviren plans to found a company with students to commercialize the new technology. She said the first goal is breast cancer diagnosis, but the team will expand applications to ovarian cancer, endometriosis and fetal diagnostics.
References
Nature Communications(2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74708-3
Advanced Healthcare Materials(2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202505310
Science Advances(2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh5325