"Smart" Toilet May One Day Detect Colorectal Cancer

In recent years, the applications of smart technologies have brought improvements to many aspects of healthcare. While artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are expected to rapidly develop in the coming years, other technological initiatives such as telehealth and remote monitoring and care have become mainstream.

While smart technology still has potential to be applied in other areas of healthcare, one possible implementation that may come to pass soon is a “smart” toilet that will be able to detect diseases.

According to Sanjiv S. Gambhir (Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine), his team’s prototype could potentially help screen for a variety of diseases based on a panel of disease markers, including those that signal the presence of colorectal cancer and other bowel diseases.

Like many other body fluids and excretions, stool and urine samples are often sampled for tumor markers in the form of occult blood, DNA, or even proteins, fats and other components. The smart toilet analyzes urine samples qualitatively and semi-quantitatively for the following ten biomarkers: erythrocytes, urobilinogen, bilirubin, protein, nitrite, ketones, glucose, pH, specific gravity and leukocytes. On the other hand, stool samples, for the time being, are analyzed and assessed based on physical characteristics such as consistency.

Rather than build a whole toilet from the ground up, Gambhir and team’s detection tool is one that can be fitted on a toilet, similar to how bidets are attached. Besides direct analysis of the stool and urine samples, the smart toilet is also fitted with different sensors that can detect motion and pressure, of which the results can be aggregated for a more comprehensive analysis of the toilet goer’s health.

While studies have not yet reached a broader audience — the pilot study consisted of just 21 participants — several considerations have also been made regarding data storage, integration into existing healthcare systems, and matching the fecal or urinary samples to the right individuals.

In that regard, users may have small discomforts to overcome, as an alternative to a fingerprint detector on the flush lever has been implemented.

According to Gambhir, every individual has a unique “anal print”, which can be captured by a small scanner fitted into the toilet. While recognition tools such as Face ID or fingerprint ID on smart devices have become commonplace, the likes of an anal recognition gadget may require more time for the masses to get used to.

As it stands, Gambhir and team plan to integrate more analytical features into their prototype. This would include being able to test the stool sample for the known cancer biomarkers that are currently employed in liquid biopsy test kits, possible customization of the fittings based on individual needs and disease surveillance, and refining existing features.

Meanwhile, Gambhir and team are not the only ones who consider that the answers to a body’s health status could lie in the number two. Dr Deborah Fisher from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has a similar prototype in the pipeline. A key difference lies in the samples being analyzed. The focal point of Team Fisher’s study is the stool sample, which is analyzed as it passes through the pipe fitted with the smart toilet technology.

Fisher believes that such technology may help eliminate inaccurate data that often arise from self-reporting, and an automated stool analytical tool may help standardize the monitoring and reporting process.

Nonetheless, with both prototypes still in the works and in need for further testing, it may yet be a few years before we can detect colorectal cancer in real time after going to the loo.

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