About Breast Cancer: Facts and
Diagnostic Methods
How dangerous is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. One in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2006, the American Cancer Society estimated that more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed and 40,000 women died of the disease in the U.S. alone, making it the largest cause of cancer-related death for women.
However, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is now about 96 percent if the cancer has not spread at the time of diagnosis. Therefore, early detection is crucial to a woman’s ability to survive this potentially deadly disease.
The
BT Test provides an entirely new capability in overcoming this critical life-and-death challenge by detecting breast cancer at the molecular level and enabling physicians to better diagnose breast cancer in its early stages – and begin treatment before it’s too late.
What are the current methods of testing for breast cancer?
Mammography: Mammography, an x-ray of the breast that is used to identify and locate tumors, is the most widely used screening test for breast cancer.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): MRI is often used as a confirmatory test to further evaluate suspicious breast lesions. An MRI can uniquely identify the full extent of a tumor.
Ultrasound: Ultrasound is an imaging technique primarily used when a suspicious mass in the breast is found. A major advantage of this technology is that a physician and technologist can see the breast image in real time during the procedure.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET):PET scan is an emerging technology that helps determine how far breast tumors have spread. A very small amount of radioactive fluorine is injected into a vein, followed by the PET scan. The scan helps determine where tumors are located in the body.