A Wearable Modulated Scattering Technique (MST) Sensor for Early Detection of Skin Tumours

There are different types of skin cancer, but the most dangerous and aggressive is the malignant melanoma (MM), because it can be easily metastasized and reaches vital organs. The survival rates for this kind of pathology are very low if it reaches the lymph nodes or other organs. The survival rate becomes considerably high if it is early detected. Therefore, a diagnostic tool able to early detect the malignant melanoma at its early stage is fundamental to save lives. The goal of this work is to develop a wearable small sensor able to detect the small changes of the electric characteristic of the skin due to the early outbreak of the malignant pathology by using miniaturized modulated scattering technique (MST) sensors. They can be easily miniaturized since they do not need a radio-frequency section. They are simply realized with a small scattering antenna, a set of loads, and an electronic switch. To improve the probe performances, the use of an efficient switch is mandatory, and a micro-switch realized in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has been used to reach this objective. In particular, the proposed MST sensor probe is able to detect and retransmit the information related to the dielectric permittivity of the skin and consequently provide useful diagnostic information mandatory to early identify the presence of malignant tissue. The preliminary results are quite promising and confirm that the wearable MST probe could be an important diagnostic tool able to save life or improve the survival rate and the life quality of patients.