Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in women, with 2.3 million new cases and 670,000 deaths reported in 2022. Early detection greatly improves prognosis, yet conventional screening tools such as mammography, ultrasound, and MRI are often limited by high costs, accessibility issues, and patient discomfort. Now, researchers have developed a wearable device that measures subtle temperature changes across the breast to help detect potential abnormalities and cancerous tumors.

Researchers at the University of Bristol (Bristol, UK) have created an ultra-thin, flexible, non-invasive patch designed to map subtle temperature variations across the breast surface. Featuring nine flexible sensors, the patch conforms naturally to the skin and detects localized rises in temperature that may signal abnormal tissue growth. Built as a low-cost, skin-like wearable, it aims to expand access to screening and provide complementary support to current diagnostic tools.

The patch has so far been tested on breast models simulating tumors using controlled heat sources. Initial trials showed the device could reliably map temperature variations across the breast surface, supporting its potential role in identifying abnormal growth. Findings were presented by lead researcher Marah Alassaf at the IEEE International Conference on Flexible Printable Sensors and Systems (FLEPS) 2025, where the research earned second place in the Student Best Paper Award.

Future studies will focus on evaluating the device in real breast cancer cases to confirm its diagnostic accuracy in clinical settings. Planned improvements include increasing sensor density, enhancing image quality, and testing performance under mechanical stress to ensure long-term reliability. In the long term, the patch could support at-home monitoring for higher-risk individuals and broaden screening opportunities in low-resource healthcare environments.

“This is early-stage research, but this temperature-sensing patch technology could potentially be used alongside screening programs and other tools to help us catch more cases of breast cancer sooner and save lives,” said Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK. “It may also prove valuable in countries where access to traditional breast mammography is limited.”

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