A Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Option for Younger Women
It is disturbing that much too often we hear of a relatively young woman diagnosed with breast cancer. Further distressing is that many of these young women are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for American women ages 35 – 50.
Unfortunately, most women (about 70%) who are diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors other than age. 8 out of 9 women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease and have no reason to think they may be at higher risk.
Current risk assessment methods are limited for women under age 40.
Mammogram screening is typically not recommended until age 40 unless a woman has a family history of the disease. Mammograms are also not ofen recommended in this age group because breast tissue is too dense, decreasing the sensitivity and making it less accurate. Additional exposure to radiation to the breasts can be of concern as it increases the risk for breast cancer.
This is where the HALO Breast Pap Test has one of its most important applications. Women ages 25 to 40 years old, without a family history of breast cancer are a target population for the HALO screening which could potentially be life saving. HALO may be utilized to identify women that may be at increased risk for breast cancer and could benefit from earlier mammograms or other forms of screening.
August 7, 2009 Comments (0) 
