Hand-held device for early detection of pre-cancerous lesions of the oral cavity

OralScan

India has one-third of oral cancer cases in the world. Oral cancer accounts for around 30% of all cancers in India. Like in all other forms of cancer, oral cancer is diagnosed in later stages that make it difficult to tackle.

In a development that could lead to a more accurate and early diagnosis of oral cancer, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is all set to launch OralScan, a hand-held imaging device for screening, detection, and biopsy guidance of the disease.

“In the device named OralScan, proprietary software assists the surgeon in taking a biopsy from the most appropriate site which is likely to confirm the diagnosis of malignancy. This will avoid multiple biopsies and false-negative reports. The device will be marketed at a price of Rs 5.9 lakh. This will be a one- time investment for hospitals and laboratories without any additional costs of consumables,” said an official release from the institute.

OralScan has undergone multicentric trials, covering six hospitals across the country.

“Oral cancer is a growing concern in India, with more than 80,000 fresh cases reported every year with a high mortality rate owing to the delay in detection. At present, the diagnosing relies on oral examinations using torchlight to detect early-stage cancers of the oral cavity. Oral potentially malignant lesions (OPMLs) often go undetected in the early stages in this method, and even experienced clinicians find it tough to locate the optimal site for a biopsy based on it. This leads to multiple biopsies, increased expenditure, and false-negative reports which can delay diagnosis and outcome,” said Dr. Subhash Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer of Sascan Meditech Private Limited.

The handheld imaging device has been developed by Sascan, a startup incubated at TiMED, the Technology Business Incubator of the institute.

It will be launched by the state Health Minister KK Shailaja in an online event on the 28^th of October 2020. The sale of the device and distribution network will also be launched at the event.

OralScan is a Make In India initiative, with seed funding from the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

OralScan has been designed and developed entirely in India, with support from the Biotechnology Ignition Grant of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the INVENT Program (DST), and the Kerala Start-Up Mission.