Chinese scientists have developed X-ray fibers that reduce the discomfort and pain of breast cancer examinations. In existing tests, the body is pressed between rigid plates. The newly developed fiber can flexibly bend, allowing for breast cancer examinations without such discomfort.
Professor Yang Si at the Donghua University Fiber Science and Technology Innovation Center and Professor Yang Yang at Zhejiang University College of Optical Science are co-researchers who noted, "We developed the fiber 'X-Wear' that emits light when exposed to X-rays," and announced this on April 28 in the international journal "Science Advances."
The principle of X-ray examinations is that photosensitive elements absorb X-rays passing through the human body and convert them into visible light. The amount of X-ray passage varies depending on the tissue, allowing for differentiation within the body. X-rays passing through bones are absorbed less, resulting in a brighter appearance on film, while muscles, which allow more X-rays to pass, appear darker on the film.
Medical devices that use rigid photosensitive elements tend to be bulky and inconvenient to use. In breast cancer examinations, pressing the body against the plate is a process to absorb the X-ray passing through the body with the photosensitive element. By creating the photosensitive element in the form of flexible X-ray fibers, this issue can be resolved. The researchers explained that X-Wear can be made like a bra, allowing the identification of breast cancer tissue without compressing the body.
The research team created long fibers by embedding europium pieces in gadolinium oxide and weaving them like fabric. Both gadolinium and europium are rare earth elements. Gadolinium is used as a contrast agent in medical imaging to make desired areas appear brighter, while europium, which is similar in density to lead, changes X-rays into light and can be stretched. This enables the creation of fibers that bend according to body structure.
When imaging the body with X-Wear fibers, high-resolution images can be obtained. The fibers remained intact even after being twisted and bent about 500 times or exposed to a humid environment for approximately 50 hours. They retained their fiber shape even at temperatures up to 400 degrees Celsius. The radiation shielding effect was also observed to be around 70%.
The research team believes that X-Wear fibers can be used not only for breast cancer but also for dental examinations. They can closely adhere to the curvy surfaces inside the mouth, allowing for an assessment of the gums or the interior of the teeth. Mobile health care is also possible.
The research team stated, "If you place the X-Wear fiber on an injured area and take a photo with a smartphone camera, you can observe the state of fractures," and added, "However, since we can currently only produce a maximum size of 0.25 square meters, we need to increase production to meet the requirements of medical equipment in the future."
References
Science Advances (2025), DOI: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adv5537