Hyderabad Researcher Develops Radio Wave Cancer Detection Concept
The technology is at the simulation stage and has not yet been tested on humans or in a physical laboratory: Reports
HYDERABAD: A Hyderabad researcher who lost his mother to a rare cancer has developed a non‑invasive technology that could potentially help identify abnormal cancerous tissue using radio waves, without exposing patients to the radiation used in conventional imaging. The work comes ahead of World Cancer Research Day on Thursday.
Dr K. Vidya Sagar, professor at VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology (VNR VJIET), and his team have validated the concept of a small antenna‑based device that distinguishes between normal and abnormal tissue based on how electromagnetic energy is reflected.
The technology is at the simulation stage and has not yet been tested on humans or in a physical laboratory.
Explaining the concept, Dr Vidya Sagar said the device is placed close to the tissue and sends electromagnetic energy towards it. Some energy is absorbed and some reflected back to the antenna. “Normally, the return loss will have a particular value in healthy tissue. When there is abnormal or malignant tissue, there will be a shift in the return loss. By comparing the responses, we can identify the difference,” he said.
The device uses a microstrip patch antenna, a small flat structure, with simulations showing differences in the electrical properties of healthy and cancerous tissue. The next step will be testing on artificial models replicating human tissue before any clinical trials.
Unlike PET scans, which involve ionising radiation, the proposed system uses non‑ionising electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies. The depth of penetration will depend on tissue properties and attenuation. Researchers plan to compare parameters such as reflection, bandwidth and signal changes between normal and malignant tissue.
The device would not provide results directly to patients; doctors would interpret the readings using a connected computer. Dr Vidya Sagar said he had consulted a doctor for six months while developing the concept.
His interest in cancer research is personal. “I lost my mother to a rare cancer. That is one of the reasons I considered working on cancer research,” he said.