How a Disability Became a Superpower To Save Lives
Trained blind women detect early-stage breast cancers better than doctors
“Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying possible breast cancers.” (Kamala Thiagarajan, npr.org )
Early detection is very important in treating breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a leading killer in India, where access to mammogram facilities is not widely available in rural areas. Even when facilities are available, many women are reluctant to come for a check-up. Many cases of breast cancer are diagnosed late when it becomes difficult to save the lives of the patients.
Dr. Frank Hoffman, a German gynaecologist, was worried by the staggering number of early-stage breast cases that remained undiagnosed worldwide.
He started the “Discovering Hands project to train blind women to detect cancerous lumps. Blind people’s brains develop a heightened sense of touch.
The trained women work as Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs).
He was impressed by their performance:
“They were so successful that they were 30% better at detecting tissue changes than doctors. The MTEs can identify lumps at the very initial stages, even before they show up on imaging scans.”
