| Breast Cancer: Some Statistics | | | | brink of being available on a widespread scale. It |
| Every year, over 1.1 million women worldwide receive | | | | replaces mammography with a blood test. Specifically, |
| the unwelcome diagnosis of breast cancer, a figure | | | | the test seeks traces of certain proteins (tumor |
| which has virtually doubled since 1975 and appears to | | | | antigens) in the blood. These proteins are uniquely |
| be likely to increase in the foreseeable future. In the | | | | correlated with specific types of breast cancer. The |
| Unites States, breast cancer is the second most | | | | new test may well prove to be considerably more |
| common form of cancer (preceded only by skin | | | | reliable than mammography, promising to detect |
| cancer), affecting 250,000 women annually. It is the | | | | cancerous tissue changes at the very earliest stages, |
| second most common cause of cancer death, | | | | when treatment is most likely to be effective. Any |
| accounting for 40,170 deaths each year - only deaths | | | | elevation of these blood markers above normal |
| from lung cancer are more common in the US | | | | concentrations is likely to be a sign that early |
| population. It undoubtedly constitutes a most pressing | | | | changes are underway, and the test appears to be |
| public health priority and, with epidemiological data like | | | | highly sensitive in detecting these alterations in blood |
| this, many have argued that universal breast cancer | | | | biochemistry. Researchers who are developing the |
| screening for all women at least annually should be | | | | test are optimistic that it will detect cellular |
| the norm. However, on closer inspection, this may | | | | abnormalities significantly earlier than mammograms, |
| not be the best or the safest means of preventing | | | | by sensing miniscule shifts in cancer protein marker |
| the disease. | | | | levels. |
| The Disadvantages of Mammograms | | | | The test is known as 'BC-SeraPro' and is already |
| This may seem like a rather callous assertion, and | | | | yielding impressive results in clinical trials, showing a |
| anyone who has received successful treatment for | | | | 95% success rate. To be precise, it measures the |
| cancer after a mammogram-detected tissue | | | | presence of no less than 22 tumor antigens (or |
| abnormality is likely to think it bizarre, but the fact of | | | | 'biomarkers') in serum, providing a reliable |
| the matter is that mammograms themselves are | | | | differentiation between breast cancer sufferers and |
| neither wholly reliable nor risk free, and may be | | | | healthy patients. Developed and evaluated by Power3 |
| especially risky for women who have a higher risk of | | | | Medical Laboratories, the test appears to be highly |
| developing the disease due to genetic factors. | | | | accurate, safe and non-invasive. By contrast, women |
| Frequently, an ambiguous result emerges suggesting | | | | usually find mammograms painful and uncomfortable, |
| a 'probably benign' lesion, an outcome which places | | | | as the procedure necessarily involves squeezing and |
| both physician and patient in a real quandary. Such | | | | flattening the breast in order to obtain a clear image; |
| patients are often referred for repeat | | | | more body conscious individuals also find exposing the |
| mammographies. Mammograms also are prone to | | | | breast an awkward and embarrassing ritual. The |
| produce both false positives (causing unnecessary | | | | blood test clearly dispenses with these problems and |
| distress and alarm) and false negatives (with an even | | | | totally protects women from exposure to potentially |
| worse predicament for the patient who believes that | | | | harmful ionizing radiation. It is expected that the U.S. |
| they are healthy when, indeed, they may not be). | | | | Food and Drug Administration will approve the test |
| Mammograms use ionizing radiation to detect tissue | | | | for use during the early part of 2010, after which it |
| changes in the breast which physical examination | | | | should quickly become available to the general public. |
| alone would not be able to find; that is their strength | | | | A closely allied test, developed by Provista Life |
| and also their weakness. For example, one study has | | | | Sciences, is already available and is known as the |
| suggested that some women with a genetic | | | | Biomarker Translation Test (or BT Test for short). |
| predisposition for breast cancer who are subjected | | | | Similar to Power3's BC-SeraPro, it detects multiple |
| to quite low doses of ionizing radiation during | | | | serum-based biomarkers for breast cancer in blood |
| mammogram screening may be significantly more at | | | | samples. Used in conjunction with a medical profile of |
| risk of developing cancer as a result. Young women | | | | the patient, the individual test result is analyzed by a |
| aged between 25 and 29 who carried a variant of | | | | proprietary data analysis procedure which produces a |
| the BRCA gene (which mutates its normal function | | | | score (known as the BT Score) which accurately |
| and predisposes the bearers of the gene to breast | | | | indicates the presence or absence of breast cancer. |
| cancer) were found to receive no benefit from | | | | Presently, the results suggest that the test is |
| mammography but an increased risk of setting the | | | | somewhere in the vicinity of 80% accurate, and |
| illness off. | | | | efforts to improve this accuracy rate are currently |
| This was a mathematical modeling study but other | | | | ongoing. |
| physicians share the concerns about the indiscriminate | | | | Is This a Significant Step Forward in the Fight Against |
| use of mammograms as a screening instrument, with | | | | Breast Cancer? |
| one specialist claiming that as many 75% of cases of | | | | Designed originally simply to be another 'tool in the |
| breast cancer could be prevented by reducing or | | | | physician's box' to complement prevailing imaging |
| wholly avoiding mammography and X-rays amongst | | | | techniques, the test is promising to become a major |
| women vulnerable to the illness. Clearly, if a means | | | | new diagnostic asset. It may be a little too early to |
| could be devised which permitted accurate early | | | | say at this point - the BT Test is available in 41 |
| diagnosis of breast cancer with none of the harmful | | | | States, in 27 of which the test can be sent directly |
| effects of ionizing radiation, it would be a most | | | | to consumers without physician prescription - but |
| welcome and valuable development in the fight | | | | these new blood tests for breast cancer may prove |
| against this dreadful disease. | | | | to be a substantial asset in the ongoing battle to |
| A Diagnostic Alternative | | | | beat this terrible, distressing and all-too-often tragic |
| Thankfully, such a means appears to be on the very | | | | illness. |