TLDR Breast cancer may be detectable through changes in scalp hair lipids.
Researchers found a correlation between breast cancer and changes in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of scalp hair, with XRD-based assays detecting about 75% of breast cancer patients in blinded studies. The study suggested that these changes were likely due to breast cancer-associated phospholipids in the hair. Identifying and characterizing these lipids could lead to a new, sensitive, and specific screening test for breast cancer, initially using hair and potentially other biological samples.
23 citations
,
October 2007 in “International journal of cancer” X-ray diffraction of hair might help detect breast cancer non-invasively.
42 citations
,
January 2005 in “Applied spectroscopy” Hair from breast cancer patients shows changes in structure and composition, and a test using these changes detected cancer but also falsely identified some healthy samples as cancerous.
35 citations
,
February 2003 in “Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects” Lead can help reveal and organize lipids in human hair.
10 citations
,
August 2024 in “ACS Omega” Nanocosmetics with natural extracts offer benefits but need more research on safety and environmental impact.
January 2025 in “RSC Advances” The new delivery method for finasteride using nanoparticles may improve hair growth without skin issues.
November 2024 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” Nanoparticles may improve caffeine delivery for hair growth, offering a potential alternative to minoxidil for hair loss treatment.
92 citations
,
April 2021 in “Pharmaceutics” Characterizing lipid nanoparticles is challenging due to issues with sensitivity, reproducibility, and reliability.
25 citations
,
January 2024 in “Journal of Lipids” Cubosomes improve drug delivery for skin and eye diseases by enhancing adhesion, retention, and release.
