GADGETS THAT HAVE RAISED CONCERNS

TORCHLIGHT: Thousands of women have bought a torch which, when the light is shone onto the breast, claims to show up shadows under the skin which may be ‘abnormalities’.

Concerns were raised after the manufacturer, PWB Health, described the torch (called Breastlight) on the product’s website as an ‘earlier breast cancer screening device’. In 2012, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that this was ‘misleading’ and ‘irresponsible’.

There were also concerns that women were using it as a substitute for breast screening and could get ‘false reassurance’.

The claims have been removed and the device is still available to buy online for around £100.

THERMAL IMAGING: This uses a thermal camera to detect heat levels around the body and has been suggested as another way to detect breast cancer. The theory is that cancer cells give off more heat than healthy cells.

Thermal scanning is available in the UK privately, but concerns have been raised that women are using this approach instead of going for mammograms.

In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. warned that there was ‘no valid scientific data to demonstrate that thermography devices are an effective screening tool for the early detection of breast cancer’.

Professor Kefah Mokbel, breast surgeon at The Princess Grace Hospital in London, says such approaches are ‘ineffective’ screening tools. ‘I’ve had patients with breast cancer that was missed by regular thermograms — and some of these were advanced since the patient had the false reassurance that all was clear.’