A simple handheld device based on fluorescence analysis of 3,6-bis(1-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium)carbazole diiodide (BMVC) stained cell was established for rapid screening of cancer cells at extremely low cost.This device includes a light emitting diode (LED) and a 470 nm band pass filter used for exciting the BMVC and a 520 nm long pass filter used for eliminating background scattering.The fluorescence emitted from BMVC stained cells could be visualized in cancer cells more easily than in normal cells, even without using a detector.Results from a pilot study of 115 outpatients are compared to the fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).Our simple method achieves a sensitivity of 86.5 % and specificity of 77.4 %, while the FNAC gives the sensitivity of 80 % and specificity of 100 %.The combination of FNAC and our simple method can decrease false-negative and false-positive results.In addition, our simple method could substantially accelerate the clinical analysis without additional adverse complication.Moreover, this simple assay is designed not only for specialists but also for non-specialists.This simple method forms an important basis and opens a new direction for "Exciting changes for cancer detection".