New Saliva Test May Help Dentists Test for Breast Cancer

[RhondaH]

1. New Saliva Test May Help Dentists Test for Breast Cancer
2. [Academy of General Dentistry]
3. CHICAGO (March 16, 2007) -- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the United States. In 2006, the American Cancer Society estimated that there would be 212,920 new cases of invasive breast cancer, and in that year, 40,970 women would die from it. Many women's lives could be saved if this cancer was diagnosed earlier, and early diagnosis could be achieved if there were more and easier opportunities to do so.
4. Sebastian Z. Paige and Charles F. Streckfus, DDS, MA, the authors of the study, "Salivary analysis in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer," published in the March/April 2007 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal, researched a new method of diagnosis.
5. They found that the protein levels in saliva have great potential to assist in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care of breast cancer. And general dentists are perfect candidates to assist with this diagnosis samples because they can easily remove saliva samples from a patient's mouth during routine visits. As the AGD's Vice-President Paula Jones, DDS, FAGD says, "Since a patient visits the dentist more frequently than their physician, it makes sense that this diagnostic tool could be very effective in the hands of the general dentist."
6. Salivary testing has some advantages over blood testing. The authors of the study argue that saliva is a clear, colorless liquid, while blood undergoes changes in color, which might affect test results. The authors also say that saliva collection is safe (no needle punctures), non-invasive, and can be collected without causing a patient any pain.
7. This method of early diagnosis is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If it does receive approval, dentists and physicians could use it to collaboratively diagnose breast cancer.
8. But Dr. Jones also warns that this is not the only means for diagnosis. "It would not eliminate the need for regular mammogram screening or blood analysis; it would just be a first line of defense for women," she says. "For example, if the salivary screening did show a positive result, a mammogram or other imaging test would be necessary to determine in which breast the cancer was located."

1. Advantages of salivary testing:
2. Salivary testing is safe (no needle punctures) and can be collected without causing the patient any pain.

• Salivary testing does not require any special training or equipment.
• Patients who may not have access to or money for preventive care could easily be tested through saliva.

1. OPEN ACCESS: Salivary analysis in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer: A role for the general dentist
2. [General Dentistry]
3. Salivary protein levels have real potential to assist in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care of breast cancer. At present, proteins associated with the EGF pathway appear to be the most promising ones to study; however, none of the putative salivary markers have received FDA approval concerning their sensitivity and specificity or false positive rate among a large population of healthy and diseased individuals. Additionally, there are no current insurance codes to cover the cost of performing such a test. These are barriers that scientists and health care practitioners must overcome.
4. It is possible that co-operation between dentists and physicians could combine salivary tests with more traditional approaches for verification, resulting in a rapid and reliable diagnosis of breast cancer. Salivary levels of proteins might then be utilized to judge tumor response during treatment. Protein levels might indicate that chemotherapy is not effective against a particular type of cancer.
5. Salivary tests also could be used to judge success post-treatment. For example, if protein levels do not return to normal after surgery, a physician might recommend chemotherapy.
6. Finally, regular salivary tests could be prescribed for women who have recovered from breast cancer to ensure that the cancer remains in remission.