A latest report by the Food and Drug Administration authority states that the nipple aspirate test, an alternative to mammography, is not effective in detecting breast cancer.
One in every eight women in the United States suffers from breast cancer and mammography is the standard procedure to detect the cancer. But many women don't want to go for a mammography as it is slightly painful; the breasts are pressed hard to flatten out the breast tissues in order to get better X-ray images.
Many companies are promoting the less painful nipple aspirate test, where a breast pump is used to collect nipple fluid for testing. The FDA is apprehensive that more women will opt for this test as it is cheaper too, which is not an effective method to screen for breast cancer, according to the press release..
The FDA had earlier issued a warning to Atossa Genetics, the company that initiated nipple testing in the market, to desist from aggressively promoting the method. In October, the Washington-based breast care company re-launched the nipple aspirate test claiming it to be equivalent to a pap smear for cervical cancer. However, the company has not been able to substantiate the fact until date, the FDA report states.
"FDA's concern is that the nipple aspirate test is being touted as a stand-alone tool to screen for and diagnose breast cancer as an alternative to mammography," says David L. Lerner, M.D., a medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a specialist in breast imaging. "Our fear is that women will forgo a mammogram and have this test instead."
According to the cancer specialists at FDA, the nipple testing has no strong scientific proof. Hence, a nipple test can't be considered an accurate screening tool to detect breast cancer. In fact, research is still going on whether to use this test in combination with mammography to detect breast cancer.
The FDA suggests that women who have gone for this test should get a mammogram done or seek proper medical advice on the test.
