Abstract
We have studied hair using fibre X-ray diffraction studies with synchrotron radiation and find that hair from breast-cancer patients has a different intermolecular structure to hair from healthy subjects. These changes are seen in all samples of scalp and pubic hair taken from women diagnosed with breast cancer. All the hair samples from women who tested positive for a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer1, also show these changes. Because our results are so consistent, we propose that such hair analyses may be used as a simple, non-invasive screening method for breast cancer.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Struewing, J. P.et al. N. Engl. J. Med. 336, 1401–1408 (1997).
Wilk, K. E., James, V. J. & Amemiya, Y. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1245, 392–396 (1995).
James, V. J. & Amemiya, Y. Textile Res. J. 68, 167–170 (1998).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
James, V., Kearsley, J., Irving, T. et al. Using hair to screen for breast cancer. Nature 398, 33–34 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/17949
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/17949
This article is cited by
-
Theorem of turbulent intensity and macroscopic mechanism of the turbulence development
Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences (2007)
-
Breast-cancer diagnosis using hair
Nature (1999)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.