Page 48 - KC Cunningham Issue

Beating The Odds

New Screen for Breast Cancer Risk

Would you take five minutes out of your day to protect the health has proven that these are very misleading indicators. Consider
of your breasts? Of course you would, and thankfully a new breast the following; one out of eight women will develop breast cancer
cancer risk assessment test is now available which can help you in their lifetime, eight out of nine breast cancer patients have no
take control of your breast health. The test is the HALO Breast Pap direct relatives afflicted with the disease and 70% of women who
Test and it is safe, quick and helps you to proactively protect the develop breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors other than
health of your breasts on a regular basis. age. With age being a determinant as to whether or not a woman
In our very first is even screened for breast cancer, a new phenomenon has oc-
issue of San curred; breast cancer has now become the leading cause of death
Diego Woman for American Women ages 35-50. 250,000 US women living with
back in Decem- the disease are under the age of 40. When found early enough, the
ber of 2006, five-year survival rate is nearly 100%. Also, younger women with
we highlighted breast cancer tend to have a more aggressive disease and worse
one of our local outcomes than older women. In fact, if breast cancer is diagnosed
doctors, Dr. within two years of childbirth it has nearly a 50% mortality rate
Steven Drosman, within 5 years. Why then do doctors maintain the age of 40 as the
and this ground starting point for obtaining mammograms? Because mammograms
breaking revolu- are ineffective in women under 50 with dense breasts and many
tion in breast doctors mistakenly believe that breast cancer is an older woman’s
cancer risk as- disease. Fortunately, younger women are beginning to enter the
sessment. Years breast cancer limelight. In fact, the issue has now gone before our
have passed legislature in a bill brought by the Honorable Debbie Wasserman-
and the statistics Schultz, herself a young breast cancer survivor. On March 26,
are even more 2009, Representative Wasserman-Schultz introduced the EARLY
encouraging: Act – the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires
proving that Learning Young Act of 2009. The EARLY Act will teach both young
having this test is women and medical professionals alike about risk factors, warn-
48 not only a good ing signs of breast cancer and good breast health, which will help
idea - it is crucial! women make informed decisions about their bodies.
This holds true,
particularly for For more information
women ages on the Early Act see the
25-40, who can side bar on the follow-
be victims of this deadly disease before they even reach the sug- ing page.
gested age to obtain a mammogram. Traditionally, mammograms
have been the recommended method for breast cancer screening in With all of these factors in
woman over the age of 40 as part of their yearly health exam. How- mind I am brought back
ever, up until now there has been no method for women under this to my original question
age to proactively protect their breast health. It is important to note - Would you take five min-
that HALO does not replace mammograms. HALO collects nipple utes out of your day to pro-
aspirate fluid to identify abnormal cells which could be a precursor actively protect the health
to the development of breast cancer. This early warning sign gives of your breasts? Keep in
women and their doctors a heads up that they need to be vigilant mind that the American
and proactive about their breast health. Based in Irvine, California, Cancer Society estimates
that ver 180,000 new cases
NeoMatrix (the developer of the HALO Breast Pap Test) obtained of invasive breast cancer
FDA clearance for HALO in 2002 and began placing it in doctor’s will be diagnosed this year.
offices in 2005. Since that time HALO locations have expanded to We at San Diego Woman
21 states and several foreign countries. want to strongly recom-
The HALO procedure is considered the ‘Pap Test for The Breast.’ mend to all of our readers
This innovation in breast cancer risk assessment is able to detect regardless of their age, risk
changes at the cellular level up to 8 years before a potentially can- factors or ethnic heritage
cerous lump might be detected on a mammogram: In actuality, once that when attending your
a woman can feel a lump the disease has progressed past its earli- yearly physical you request
est and most treatable stage. As the HALO informational material the HALO Breast Pap Test.
states, “HALO is a simple five-minute test that can help determine We have included a listing
your risk of future breast cancer, years earlier than a mammogram. of doctors in the area who
Simply put, it’s the quickest, easiest way to give your doctor a perform this safe and easy
heads-up, and you a head start.” procedure in their offices.
One of the major issues with breast cancer risk assessment is that
for many decades women were determined to be likely candidates
for breast cancer based on several factors: Family history, per-
sonal history, age and obvious symptoms. Unfortunately, history
March/April 2010