With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives – CTV
May 9, 2024
Many women dread breast cancer screening, with the anxiety-inducing trip to the clinic and the cold metal bite of the mammogram machine. In fact, some find the process so unpleasant that they avoid it altogether.
The 2023 Ontario Cancer Screening Performance Report, for example, found that 54.7 per cent of eligible women aged 50 to 74 participated in routine mammography between 2020 and 2021. This represents a decline of more than five per cent compared to pre-pandemic rates, and is well below the program’s target of at least 70 per cent.
But what if there was a way to make the experience more pleasant? What if, for instance, a general practitioner could use a contactless detection tool in the relative comfort of their office? That’s the promise of new screening technology developed by Toronto-based Linda Lifetech, which will begin a clinical trial at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC) this summer.
