This application is able to detect if you have pancreatic cancer

Cancer is one of the great pandemics of our century. Without going any further, in Spain we have already exceeded the forecast of cancer cases for 2020. According to the study of Cancer figures in Spain, published this 2017 by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology.

The incidence of pancreatic cancer is not the highest. However, and despite the fact that it is in eighth position in frequency, this was the third leading cause of cancer mortality in 2015.The survival rate is very low. So much so that only 9% of affected patients survive in the following five years. That's why early detection is so important.

Now a piece of news has just been published that refers to a very special application. An application that would be able to detect if we have pancreatic cancer by looking at our eyes, according to the Engadget media outlet.

Early detection of pancreatic cancer through an application

The problem with this type of cancer, pancreatic cancer, is that when patients show the first symptoms, the disease is already at a very advanced stage . Sometimes irreversible.

Researchers at the University of Washington have just found a way that at first seems quite simple and accurate to detect this type of cancer.

It is an application called BiliScreen, which works through the phone's camera To achieve its goal, it uses different algorithms to computer vision, capable of detecting levels of the chemical bilirubin through the whites of a person's eyes.

These scientists say that in cases of pancreatic cancer, the level of bilirubin increases galloping. So that in the end , the whites of the eyes turn yellow. When this tone is already very evident, it is because the cancer is already in a very advanced state.

It should be taken into account, however, that this also happens when a person is sick with hepatitis. Be that as it may, what makes this application special is that it is capable of detecting very low levels of bilirubin in the whites of the eyes. In this way, BiliScreen could be effective in assessing whether the bilirubin level is high enough to be a disease.

A harmless test that does not cause discomfort

The test is harmless. It does not cause discomfort and can be done on anyone. In fact, it is cheaper and less expensive than a blood test Which is the first test, among others, that is usually carried out when one's own symptoms are suspected of pancreatic cancer.

The analysis through this application, in fact, could be carried out even before the disease has manifested. And given how cheap it is to make, it could be started as a preventative program. Everything will be seen.

The application has to be used through a special box that blocks ambient light and paper glasses with colored squares.Its creators indicate that BillScreen has been able to identify up to 90% as accurate as a blood test when it comes to identifying the bilirubin levels of 70 people. The same ones who participated in this clinical study.

Now they are working to ensure that the application can work without accessories and it will be presented at Ubicomp 2017 in September.

Jim Taylor, one of the researchers on the project, makes the same point. “Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease – in many cases fatal – if not diagnosed early“. The problem with this specific cancer lies in the fact that it does not offer symptoms until it is already very advanced.

The goal of the team, he says, is to ensure that more people are fortunate enough to be diagnosed on time Catch cancer earlier That it has spread completely or even to other organs is essential to be able to undergo surgery.And survive longer.