The study reviewed here offers hope for a simple test to diagnose breast cancer earlier than can be done now. Cancer appears to affect 49 proteins found in saliva. A simple test to measure the type and amount of these proteins might be able to detect breast cancer.
Until it's possible to prevent breast cancer completely, diagnosing breast cancer early -- when it's most easily treated -- should be everyone's priority. Regular breast self-exams, breast exams by a doctor, and screening mammograms are the best early detection tools available today. Still, none of these is perfect. A simple saliva test that might detect breast cancer earlier and better than current screening tests could mean more breast cancer diagnoses made earlier, more successful breast cancer treatment, and more lives saved.
An inexpensive and easy-to-do screening test could be very valuable in developing countries where mammograms are either too expensive or not available for many women.
Visit the breastcancer.org Screening and Testing section to learn more about the best approaches to detect breast cancer.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists in the United States are developing a screening test for breast cancer that checks a woman's saliva for evidence of the disease to help find tumors early, when they are most treatable.
In research published on Thursday, the scientists said they identified 49 proteins in saliva that the screening test would track to distinguish healthy women from those with benign breast tumors and those with malignant breast tumors.
Breast cancer triggers a change in the type and amount of proteins in secretions from the salivary glands, said Charles Streckfus, a professor of diagnostic sciences at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston.
The proteins are produced by tumor cells and affect cell growth, cell metabolism and cell self-destruction -- all of which go awry in cancer, Streckfus said.
Streckfus and colleagues tested saliva from 30 women - 10 healthy women, 10 with malignant breast cancer and 10 with benign breast tumors.
The pattern of proteins is different in each of the three groups, the researchers reported in the journal Cancer Investigation.
More work needs to be done before a screening test based on these proteins can be made available to the public, Streckfus said. But U.S. government approval for the test may be sought within five years, he added.
FOCUS ON DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Mammography and breast self-examination for tumors are leading methods used for early detection of breast cancer.
But Streckfus said mammograms are too expensive in many developing countries and a cheap, easy-to-perform screening test would be valuable.
"On a global perspective, mammography is not very common," Streckfus said in a telephone interview. "Even in our neighbor Mexico, there are very few mammography centers around."
Streckfus said he envisioned a saliva test as a quick, inexpensive and simple screening method. In developed countries like the United States, such a test could complement existing screening methods, he added.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society.
The organization estimated that about 465,000 women died from it globally in 2007, with 1.3 million new cases diagnosed. Declining death rates from breast cancer in developed countries have been attributed to early detection through mammography screening and to improved treatment, the organization said.
The American Cancer Society recommends women age 40 and older get a mammogram every year. Streckfus said the new test could be done more frequently to find tumors that might arise between mammograms.
Other researchers last week said they were developing a saliva test to screen for head and neck cancers. Their test also was years away from being available to the public.
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