SBIR-STTR Award

Breast cancer is the most common cancer to occur in women. Unfortunately, the risks of developing cancer are poorly understood. All women are at risk of developing breast cancer. The optimal chance for surviving breast cancer is finding it early, either by mammography, clinical examination, or breast self-examination (BSE). All national health organizations actively promote monthly BSE.This project aims to develop and evaluate a highly refined, comprehensive, technical teaching aid enabling young women in high school to learn BSE in the classroom. During Phase I, state-of-the-art material combining informational and tactile training will be designed, and a prototype will be fabricated, with fifteen copies. An evaluation of the teaching tool, including retention data, will be conducted with 60 tenthgrade women.No such targeted high school teaching materials currently exist, although select school districts currently offer BSE instruction. Recent state legislation, (e.g., in Florida) has mandated BSE instruction as a high school graduation requirement. Other school districts surely will initiate BSE instruction. Hence, the potential market for this educational tool is the entire population of high school women.During Phase II, the experience gained from the pilot testing of the educational tool will enable refinements to be incorporated for largescale field testing.National Cancer Institute (NCI)