Earwax: Earwax test can detect cancer, study in Brazil reveals

Earwax: Scientists at the Federal University of Goias (UFG) in Brazil have developed a new and effective test (cerumenogram) that can help in early detection of cancer based on earwax samples. The study was published in 2025 and has been honored at the 2025 Capes Award, which demonstrates the quality and usefulness of the findings.

BREAKING NEWS🚨: Groundbreaking research from a Brazilian university discovers that earwax can help detect cancer. The study shows that tests done with earwax can help detect cancer before the tumor appears.

pic.twitter.com/dLuHnjgmP2

— All day Astronomy (@forallcurious) February 3, 2026

research, analyzing the chemicals in earwax can provide important clues about the disease inside the body, especially cancer. If the body is healthy, then the preparation and chemical structure of earwax is one of a kind, but when there is a serious problem in the body, then it changes. Which a scientist can identify. Thus, the test is considered simple, low-cost, non-invasive, and non-invasive<> According to Nelson Antoniosi Filho, the principal investigator of the

research, the biggest advantage of this method is that it can detect changes even in the early stages of cancer, while the patient can get timely treatment and improve the quality of life. He said, " This is a simple, practical and painless method that can save the patient from being hospitalized.

This research project initially began to work to investigate the toxicity of diabetes, drugs or pesticides, and then it also applied to veterinary science, where cancer in dogs can be detected; It was also decided to conduct human trials to guide them through the positive results of its use for identification><

A total of 751 volunteers were sampled with wax in this project. Of these, 531 were already undergoing cancer treatment and another 220 had undergone some kind of cancer test. The findings showed that the earwax of people with cancer had a specific element in them, while only five of the 220 healthy people had abnormal signals and later investigations revealed that they all had cancer. This success demonstrates the reliability of this technique.

however; This test is still not available for free in the Brazilian public health system (SUS). For now, the trial will also start in private health services and public educational institutions, as the government approval process is underway. According to Filho, initially it should be from universities and research centers and then these public health programs can be increased. Industry experts and researchers also want to know if it can detect other diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. According to Filho, the study is ongoing and more clarity is expected by next year.

That discovery demonstrates how science and research in public institutions in Brazil can revolutionize medical science with ease and creativity. Tests like Cerumenogram can make the detection of life-threatening diseases like cancer even easier, more comprehensive, in the future.