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Getting a Better Breast Pap: Halo Hint

Trying to get to know which women are going to develop breast cancer, before a breast cancer is found has been what getting a breast pap smear is all about. Breast Pap Smears haven't been easy to get. The first attempts literally (cover your eyes and don't read this if you are squeamish) involved sticking tiny needles into each breast duct and using miniature fluid douches to try to rinse the cells out of the ducts. Then they took a cue from a mommy to suggest the technique of building a better breast pump in attempt to coax out droplets of fluid from the breast. Then it took newer liquid base testing, also called the Halo Test, and pathological analysis to help interpret those droplets and again the test was improved. But now we have discovered that once we perform the test, that some women will just have their few cells sitting right at the end of the nipple and by pressing the slide to this area then sending that fluid off will improve the pick up rate of the test from about 55% of patients showing cells to much much higher. So if you have a Halo Test, the accuracy has been improved.

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