Diagnosis of Breast Cancer by X-Ray Diffraction of Hair

The study analyzed hair fibers from women with breast cancer using synchrotron-derived X-ray diffraction and identified a unique feature, a ring with a molecular spacing of 4.76 ± 0.07 nm, which was absent in hair from women without breast cancer. The diffraction patterns were consistent across different hairs from the same subject and different synchrotron beamlines. The study suggested that X-ray diffraction of hair could potentially serve as a non-invasive test for breast cancer, although it emphasized the importance of precise methodologies in sample handling and image analysis.