New Noninvasive Breast Pap Test May Identify Breast Disease Up To Eight Years Earlier

There's encouraging news in the ongoing struggle to prevent breast cancer: A new screening test is now available to primary care physicians and Ob-Gyns, enabling them to identify asymptomatic women who are at significantly elevated risk of developing breast cancer.

Surprisingly, more than 70 percent of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors. The new test, called the HALO™ Breast Pap Test from NeoMatrix, follows the clinical model of one of the most successful health-screening programs in history, the Cervical Pap Test.

The Cervical Pap Test is largely credited with reducing deaths from cervical cancer by more than 75 percent since its introduction in the 1950s. Meanwhile, the death rate from breast cancer has declined only slightly and is about 10 times greater than cervical cancer. Like the Cervical Pap, the HALO Breast Pap Test tests for the presence of abnormal or atypical cells, a precursor to cancer. When found in fluid collected from breast ducts, atypical cells are a biomarker for a 400-500 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Importantly, these high-risk patients can be identified by HALO eight years before a tumor can be imaged by mammography, allowing physicians to employ preventative measures or increased surveillance that can facilitate early diagnosis and successful treatment.

"The Ob-Gyn office is ideal for a noninvasive screening tool, as this is where most women seek basic health care. Current screening technologies-mammography and physical examination-are geared to finding a lump; the HALO is the first device to allow Ob-Gyns to screen patients in their offices to identify who is at risk before a lump develops," said Steve Drosman, M.D., a San Diego Ob-Gyn who pioneered the new screening method. "Using gentle suction like a breast pump, it is the first, automatic, noninvasive tool to collect ductal fluid in minutes and can easily be incorporated into an annual well-woman visit."

The HALO Test does not replace mammography or breast self-examinations and Dr. Drosman recommends that in conjunction with these tests, all women between 25 and 55 should have the HALO Breast Pap Test to evaluate their risk, just as they do the Cervical Pap Test.

"Since implementing the HALO test, we've identified several women at risk who would otherwise remain undetected-none of whom had other risk factors," added Dr. Drosman. "By identifying these patients, we can send them to a breast center where they can be managed as high-risk patients. The ability to identify women at risk and improve their management can have a profound impact on breast health."

By: Wendy Mitchell

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For more information, visit www.PapTestForTheBreast.com.