New Software Speeds Up Results For Breast Cancer Tests

New Software Speeds Up Results For Breast Cancer Tests



PENANG, June 22 (Bernama) -- It used to take between one and two weeks but a new computer software produced by experts of Universiti Sains Malaysia now enables the result of a breast cancer test to be known in only seconds.

Called "Neuralmammo Diagnostic for Breast Cancer Based On Neural Work", the software promises to reduce not only the waiting time for test results but also the number of medical specialists required to conduct tests.

All it takes is some information on the patient and a sample of cells to obtain this information.

The software was invented by a group of researchers from the Centre for the Study of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Centre for Medical Science Study of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

It won the gold medal at the Invention Industrial Design Technology 22005 (ITECH) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur last May.

Head of the research team Dr Nor Ashidi Mat Isa said the invention could reduce the number of pathologists required to conduct breast cancer tests.

"With this software, medical assistants can carry out the test," he told a media conference Wednesday.

Dr Nor Ashidi said the research started two years ago and cost RM20,000 and the new software could provide information on the disease from its early to critical stage accurately.

So far the new method had been used to test 330 patients at the Kubang Kerian Hospital in Kelantan, he said.

"99.3 per cent of the results were found to be accurate and we plan to extend its use to the Penang Hospital," he added.

-- BERNAMA