The research team at Mexico's Monterrey Institute of Technology may have found an efficient way to detect early signs of breast cancer by using saliva.

According to the institute's team leader, Joaquin Esteban Oseguera Peña, this will be possible through the use of a small but valuable device.

The device is equipped with sensor that is embedded into a thin film that is two microns thick and 10 millimeters long. This sensor will make it possible to detect the Cerb-b2 protein. This protein is found in many of the women who are in the early stages of breast cancer.

The device, which is still in the works, would make it easier to find the protein in the saliva of women and will determine whether the chances of developing breast cancer are high.

"The key idea is that the device will be available to anyone, particularly in places in Mexico where access to more advanced equipment is difficult," Oseguera said.

Over the last few years there has been a lot of innovation and research into the possible early detection of breast cancer in various ways.

In 2013, news about a bra that can possibly detect breast cancer began to circulate. That very same idea made headlines last month when researchers at the National University in Colombia also released news about their own breast cancer detecting bra.