Finger hypersensitivity of visually impaired examiners facilitates early detection; Breast cancer is one of the most common among women – and the most lethal.
Therefore, early detection is important to increase the chances of survival.
An initiative in Colombia used blind or visually impaired examiners to look for the first signs of breast cancer. This is due to the fact that they have hypersensitivity in the fingers, allowing to identify small lumps that may go unnoticed by doctors. It is a complementary detection method, especially useful for women under 50 who do not have access to routine mammograms.
The Manos que Salvan Lidas (Hands Saving Lives) project was developed by a German gynecologist.
Leidy García is one of those blind examiners. “For me, my hands are my eyes. They allow me to feel the world. Without them, I couldn’t do what I’m doing today,” she says. “I can feel masses, lumps and anomalies in women’s breasts. We use a technique developed in Germany from ribbons that guide me centimeter by centimeter across the breast area,” she adds.
Source: BBC News
