Hair X Rays Used To Detect Breast Cancer

A world-first test that can diagnose breast cancer by X-raying a woman's hair will be available commercially later this year, the Australian developer says.

Results from a trial involving 2000 Australian women found the test to be effective in detecting breast cancer, though the success rate was just 75 percent, lower than the 95 percent that Sydney company Fermiscan had hoped for.

Managing director David Young said the results were still "comparatively accurate" vis-a-vis the mammogram, the gold standard test, and plans were afoot to run an Adelaide pilot study before rolling it out nationwide.

"Fermiscan plans to progress to commercialisation in Australia by the end of the year, which is exciting news," Mr Young said.

The test is based on an Australian university discovery that breast cancer changes the molecular structure of hair.

Breast tumours secrete chemicals called cytokines into the bloodstream, which can affect the way the hair follicle works to form hair, a difference that can be picked up using sophisticated X-ray technology.

It was designed as a less painful and invasive method of cancer detection than the mammogram, and it can be used by women of all ages.

The trial compared the hair test to mammogram results and found it was 69 percent accurate -- but the success rate was 75 percent when hair that had been damaged by perming, dyeing and straightening were excluded.

About 1500 of the 2000 women in the trial were correctly diagnosed as negative and 20 were correctly diagnosed as positive.

But 13 women with cancer were missed by the test, a result Mr Young said was likely due to hair damage.

"The accuracy of the test in a commercial use is expected to significantly improve as women will prepare by ensuring they have undamaged new growth of hair for testing," the company said in a statement to the Australian stock exchange.

He said the test would be further refined in a pilot trial involving the Ashford Cancer Centre in Adelaide and hospitals in Italy and Japan to start in the next two months.

Regulatory approval was being sought to have the $A250 ($NZ309) test available without a referral through pathology collection centres, Mr Young said.

Cancer Council Australia chief executive Professor Ian Olver said the test was an interesting addition to cancer detection methods, but the accuracy rate needed improvement.

"It is important at this early stage that women do not see this test as a substitute for Australia's successful mammogram screening program, which women are encouraged to continue using," Prof Olver said.

"It is highly likely that the Fermiscan test is best used in conjunction with well-established methods of testing."