Human Saliva Can Indicate Breast Cancer Early Without Radiation

[Guest guest]

Human Saliva Can Indicate Breast Cancer Early Without Radiation

_http://www.naturalnews.com/022774.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/022774.html)

 

(NaturalNews) In the not-too-distant future, women having a dental check-up

or their teeth cleaned may be offered a simple " swish and spit " test that

could accurately reveal whether they have breast cancer – at an early and

most

curable stage.

 

That's the news from researchers at The University of Texas (UT) Health

Science Center at Houston who have found specific protein markers in human

saliva

that can provide an early, non-invasive diagnosis of breast cancer.

 

According to a study published in the January 10, 2008, issue of the journal

" Cancer Investigation " (_(http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/conten..._

(http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a789439485~db=all~order=pubdat\

e) )

, the test is able to distinguish between benign and cancerous tumors.

Charles Streckfus, D.D.S., a UT Dental Branch at Houston professor of

diagnostic

sciences with an expertise in salivary function and molecular epidemiology,

collaborated on the groundbreaking study with William Dubinsky, Ph.D., a

biochemist and professor of integrative biology and pharmacology at the UT

Medical

School at Houston; and Lenora Bigler, Ph.D., clinical research professor with

the UT Dental Branch.

 

The scientists documented that the onset of _breast cancer_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/breast_cancer.html) leads to a change in the normal

type and

amount of proteins in glandular secretions produced by the salivary glands.

These

findings are currently being applied to a " lab-on-a-chip " diagnostic test

being developed by UT biochemists at Austin which can easily and effectively

detect the presence of _cancer_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer.html) ; even

before a tumor forms.

 

Currently, _mammograms_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/mammograms.html) are

touted as the best way to spot breast cancer early, but they are anything but a

perfect diagnostic tool. For example, the Mayo Clinic web site

(_(http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mammog..._

(http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mammogram/WO00023) ) points out mammograms

can miss one in five cancers in women. The

reason? Some tumors may be too small or in an area, like an armpit, that is

difficult to view by _mammography_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/mammography.html)

..

 

In addition, women who have dense breast tissue have a heightened risk for

inaccurate mammograms.

Not only can mammograms miss tumors, they can also register false-positive

findings. In fact, according to a study published in the " Journal of the

National Cancer Institute " (Vol. 92, Issue 20), by the time a woman has had ten

mammograms, she will have a 50 percent chance of being told her results are

abnormal; and false positive results often lead to additional mammograms,

needless biopsies and emotional distress. When Dr. Noel T. Brewer and his

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research team analyzed 23 studies

of a

total of 313,967 women aged 40 and older. they found higher levels of anxiety

and distress among women who received false-positive mammograms and the these

effects lasted for many years.

 

What's more, mammography uses low-dose radiation and although many cancer

specialists insist the benefits of regular mammography for women over age 40

outweigh the risks, there's simply no zero risk from radiation exposure. That's

why the Breast Cancer Fund (_(http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp..._

(http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE & b=43969) ) , the

leading national non-profit organization focused on identifying the

environmental

causes of breast cancer, finding better methods of detecting breast cancer and

preventing the disease, warns that radiation exposure is cumulative over a

lifetime and repeated low doses may eventually add up to a dose high enough to

cause cancer in some women.

 

The new saliva test for breast cancer involves no radiation exposure and

holds the promise of eliminating false-positive results and allowing a fast

track to treatment options, whether surgery, a biopsy or further testing. The

UT

researchers are also pursuing salivary diagnostics for other types of cancer,

such as ovarian, endometrial, cervical and head and neck cancers.

 

 

About the author

Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in

Newsweek, Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal, Optometry,

Atlanta, Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI, UCLA's " Healthy

Years " newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's " Focus on Health Aging "

newsletter, the Cleveland Clinic's " Men's Health Advisor " newsletter and many

others.