A new detection test for young women!

This is really cool! A new test that can detect 95% of the most common type of breast cancer UP TO 7 YEARS BEFORE the cells actually become cancer! (So incredible is this new test, that I am seriously wondering WHY I have never heard of the test, and WHY the test was not offered to me at any time... I know, the mind boggles...)

Called the Halo Breast Pap Test, it is available now in Southern Nevada. And with a little digging around, now that I know what to look for, I came across a few other articles about the test as well. (And if you are wondering if the FDA has approved this test, the answer is YES IT HAS!)

The initial article that I came across was posted by the Las Vegas Now Eye Witness News titled: New Test for Detecting Breast Cancer . It was written by Paula Francis, and posted on December 07, 2007.

"The "Halo Breast Pap Test" goes beyond x-rays by detecting abnormal cells as much as eight years before they become cancer."

While not to be considered a replacement for mammography, it can be a real life saver for younger women.

Excerpted from the article:

"Dr. Volker said, "Mammography, which has been the gold standard and still is, is an imaging test. So it's actually looking in time backwards a little bit because we're detecting an early lump. Now, we have a test that we can actually get fluid and cells and look at it before it's a lump."

The Halo System uses a suction device to retrieve fluid from the breast ducts and the fluid is evaluated for abnormal cells. The test finds the most common type of cancer, but it does have limitations.

"It doesn't detect all breast cancer. It detects 95-percent of the most common breast cancer, which is ductal cancer," Dr. Volker continued. He said, "With the breast pap now, that 31-year-old patient or 32-year-old patient who has a family history who's concerned, now they have a screening test that they can latch on to."

These early abnormal cells don't always indicate the beginning stages of cancer. The patient will be watched closely, and an MRI or biopsy may eventually be recommended.

The main advantage of the Halo test is time, because these abnormal cells can take seven years to form a tumor that can be seen on a mammogram."