Developing a lateral flow device for the detection of novel breast cancer biomarkers

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy and one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide. Delayed diagnosis of breast cancer greatly reduces the effectiveness of treatment and is considered one of the major contributing factors to its high mortality rate. Cancer treatment is most effective during the early stages of the disease, therefore the earlier that cancer is detected, the greater the chance for survival. Currently, breast cancer screening relies largely on imaging techniques such as mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which lack sensitivity and specificity; and are both invasive, cost-intensive and are often not easily accessible to patients in low-income countries.