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The HALO™ Breast Pap Test will help Ob/Gyns, Internists
and Primary Care Physicians provide better
health care for their patients who want to take proactive control of their
breast health. It's important to recognize that, like the Pap test for
cervical cancer, HALO is a screening tool to identify high risk women;
it is not a diagnostic. HALO provides further documentation of your
diligence in monitoring breast health, while at the same time it makes
financial sense for your practice.
The primary care setting is the point-of-care where screening must occur, but the
breast specialist must manage the high-risk patients. With the advent of a noninvasive,
office-based method of collecting NAF, we have the opportunity to enter more high risk
women into enhanced surveillance programs earlier, and help them avoid a life-threatening
battle with breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a major health concern for your patients for many reasons:
Over 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year.
It’s the second leading cause of cancer death for US women (after lung cancer).
2.3 million living American women have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and an estimated 1 million have it and don’t know it yet.
5-year survival is 100% for localized breast cancer (Stage 0 or 1) but drops to only 20% once it has spread to other organs (Stage 4).
70% of women who develop breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors.
Younger women face unique breast cancer issues:
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of American women ages 35-50.
Younger women with breast cancer have worse outcomes and more advanced disease than older women.
Breast cancer diagnosis within two years of child birth has nearly 50% mortality.
Current screening tools are considerably less effective in younger women due to tissue density.
Diagnostic Testing
A diagnostic test is defined as a specific test used to confirm the
presence of disease. In the case of breast cancer, once an abnormality has been
identified through screening, diagnostic testing typically includes a biopsy for
direct tissue examination and determination of malignancy.
Screening
Screening is generally defined as systematic testing for the early detection
of cancer in people with no symptoms of the disease. Screening tests are not
performed to diagnose a disease, but to identify currently asymptomatic individuals
for whom more specific diagnostic testing is warranted.
In developing cancer screening summaries, the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
PDQ Screening and Prevention Editorial Board uses the following definitions:
Screening is a means of detecting disease early in asymptomatic people.
Positive results of examinations, tests, or procedures used in screening are usually not diagnostic but identify persons at increased risk for the presence of cancer who warrant further evaluation.
Current screening tools are inadequate by themselves. We spend $3 billion annually on
breast cancer screening, yet women still find 75% of lumps themselves. Current
detection techniques are under increasing scrutiny, causing general confusion over
best breast cancer detection practices. On average, breast cancer has been growing
8 years before it’s detectable on a mammogram and 10 years before it's palpable.
Traditional film mammograms detect lesions about 70% of the time in women over 50
but only about 55% of the time in women under 50. Consequently, the American Cancer
Society recently adjusted their routine mammogram guidelines to begin at age 50
rather than 40.
