CURA Healthcare has now stormed into indigenous production of robot-assisted digital 360 degree breast thermography device, illumina 3600 an early breast cancer warning system for all age groups.
The company has stated it is the world’s first 360 degree Breast Thermography System. It is approved by FDA as an adjunct screening method to the current standard of mammography. Illumina 3600 is designed, developed and manufactured in India with the support of BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
“ illumina 3600, 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.
“illumina 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 a ”Aarogya Bharath” through friendly, affordable and accessible technology solutions,” he added.
“We at BIRAC are here to stimulate, foster and enhance bio-tech innovation. This is a critical mandate of Government of India,” said Dr Renu Swaroop, Managing Director, BIRAC.
Breast screening is non-existent in India. One in 28 women get breast cancer and 1 in 2 succumb due to late detection. Early detection programs in developed countries indicate it can help reverse the trend. In US, 90% patients lead a long, healthy life due to early detection and early intervention.
Studies indicate only about 12% of women diagnose breast cancer and over 70% presenting in late stages when it is fatal. Poor awareness is attributed among those opt out of screening due to pain and discomfort. In India, breast cancer is increasingly prevalent among the young.
Mammography is prescribed for above 45 years age groups only. Hence it is not available to 285 million younger women.
A traditional mammography detects breast cancer only when it reaches a cluster of 4 billion cells. illumina 3600 produces these early warning signs at over 97% accuracy without 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, patients are subjected to a PET/CT exam, for monitoring of treatment, which emit radiation levels of 25 mSv equivalent to 8 years of natural background radiation.
“The high sensitivity camera can detect the minutest heat changes to indicate the presence of anomalies at cellular levels. A mammography or ultrasound imaging can re-confirm its findings 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 and principal clinical partner for over 5 years with 5,000 case studies.
“For many patients mammography is a painful experience. illumina 3600 can attract all those women who found the pain and radiation risk, a major deterrent in opting for the screening exam”, said Prof. Kalpana, Radiologist, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital, key partner in clinical investigations using CURA’s illumina 3600.
“No woman should miss out on the potentially life-saving benefits of regular breast screening out of pain, fear, anxiety or discomfort. 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.