MTEs detect small lumps (6-8 mm) with low missing rates (1%), promising wider implementation to combat breast cancer and create job opportunities.

Meenakshi Gupta, a blind woman from New Delhi, uses metro to detect breast cancer and inspires patients. Gupta told DW -

"As a blind woman trained to help in detecting breast cancer, I am able to catch the smallest of the lumps that can be crucial in helping save a life."

31-year-old MTE performs 100+ screenings in 8 months, benefiting from blind individuals' superior sense of touch.

German gynecologist Frank Hoffmann pioneered medical tactile examination, launching "Discovering Hands" in 2011 to train visually impaired women. Hoffmann said -

“Earlier, I used mammography for detecting breast cancer, but now my patients can get malignance detected by the MTEs, which has no risk of radiation involved and is cost-effective.”

Over 50 people were trained as MTEs in Germany. The program expanded to Austria, Switzerland, India, Colombia, and Mexico. India’s NABCBW introduced it in 2017, training 18 MTEs and eight more currently.

Shalini Khanna, the director of NABCBW, told DW -

“Initially, we had our doubts about how blind women can perform such a complex task but I was convinced once I saw how meticulously the blind women in Germany were examining each centimeter.”

Candidates Have to Complete a Medical Internship

NABCBW conducted breast cancer screening camps in India since December, with MTEs screening 1,000+ women. A 2019 study found their accuracy comparable to physicians. 9-month training covers English, computer science, human anatomy, and breast cancer types.

NABCBW chief Khanna added -

“The education system for blind students in India is one of the biggest challenges we face in implementing this program because most of the blind children don’t get to study science in high school.”

In multilingual India, medical sciences are taught in English, so “the women also have to be taught English first.”

Is MTE an Alternative to Mammography?

Early breast cancer detection is crucial for 90% treatment success, but 60% of cases in India are diagnosed later due to low awareness and limited clinical examination participation.

“Mammography is not effective in younger women so it is not advisable for women aged below 45 years,” Malhotra said.

Is MTE More Precise than Mammograms?

Indian women’s denser breasts hinder mammography.

Kanchan Kaur, senior director of breast surgery at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram said -

“We do not have the infrastructure or medical talent to run mass screening programs with mammograms in India as it is done in the West."

She added -

“The next best thing is a clinical breast examination by women who are specifically trained to do this.”