How can breast cancer be detected through hair?

Fermiscan's scientific team has proposed the following as a possible mechanism:

	Breast tumors (Fig 1) are known to secrete growth factors (cytokines) and other molecules into the blood stream (Fig 2).
	A hair follicle (Fig 3) needs a blood supply to provide the nutrients needed to produce the highly ordered structure of the hair fibre (Fig 4).
	The presence in the blood of cancer derived molecules could therefore affect the way the hair follicle produces the hair fibre, leading to an alteration in the molecular structure.
	Synchrotron X-ray diffraction is used to examine the molecular structure of hair and can detect alterations to its structures (Fig 5).
	Because hair grows, these structural alterations are preserved in the fibre.

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3 Fig 4 Fig 5 Breast tumor: secretes molecules into the blood stream Blood vessels: carry tumor molecules around the body, including to the hair follicles Hair follicle: tumor molecules affect change follicle function and regulation of hair fibre Hair fibre: altered arrangement of alpha-keratin in intermediate filaments X-ray diffraction: detects structural change in alpha keratin in hair fibres.

The Structure of Hair

Use of X-ray Diffraction to study hair

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