BACKGROUND: Molecular structural changes in hair, skin and breast associated with @entity0 have been observed using synchrotron fibre diffraction. These results raised the possibility that such hair studies might be used as a non-invasive diagnostic marker for @entity0 . A series of double-blinded studies was undertaken to establish the specificity of such a tool. Hair samples from controls, @entity1 with @entity5 of the breast and other sites including the colon were studied. An associated study of collagenous colon tissue was also undertaken. MATERIAL/METHODS: Single hairs were used for the fibre diffraction study. Collagenous colon samples were dissected near the @entity5 and from the ends of the colon section. The protocols followed exactly the associated @entity0 studies. RESULTS: A ring of radius 4.53+/- 0.03 nm, superimposed on the patterns obtained for the controls, was observed in the diffraction patterns for the hair of all @entity694 @entity1 . This radius is different from that observed for @entity0 . In the collagen tissue study, two discrete sets of additional rings are superimposed on the normal collagenous colon pattern, one for samples adjacent to the @entity5 and one for samples distal from the @entity5 . The latter revealed that tissue at the point of dissection was not always normal. CONCLUSIONS: Here we show that, since the sensitivity and specificity for the difference observed in the diffraction patterns of hair in @entity694 are both 100%, a fibre diffraction analysis could be a simple, non-invasive screening test for @entity694 .

Fibre diffraction from a single hair can provide an early non-invasive test for XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancers', 'tumour'] @entity694 :: ('MESH:D003110', 'Disease') :: ['colon cancer'] @entity0 :: ('MESH:D001943', 'Disease') :: ['breast cancer']
@entity694 :: (MESH:D003110,Disease) :: ['colon cancer']
