Can Any Cancer Be Diagnosed Through a Hair Sample?

Hair could help diagnose breast cancer - Cancer- msnbc.com

According to Reuters, the investigators in this trial successfully and consistenly generated a basic X-ray diffraction pattern of breast cancer patients, that is different from that of healthy subjects.

Hair is a dead tissue that is composed mainly of protein (alpha-keratin), this keratin structure is maintained by many chemical interactions, but the most important one is the interchain binding through the disulphide bond of Cystine (amino acid), which helps to stabilize it against denaturation (like when the texture of clothes is changed by chemicals or aging).

This disulphide bond existence depends on the oxidation-reduction potential (Redox) of the surrounding tissue, it is different for every tissue and can be changed with different physiological and pathological conditions. The effects of chaotic effects on hair structure can be easily seen in greying hair, when its structure changes permitting it to entrap air, giving that glassy appearance to "White" hair.


Back to our question, can any cancer be diagnosed throgh a hair sample?. I think that investigators can RESEARCH hair for the pssibility of diagnosing different cancer types.