What is and how is the HALO test performed for breasts?

The HALO Papanicolau (PAP) test for breasts is a non-invasive, automated and rapid method that collects nipple fluid through a suction device similar to the breast pump used by nursing women. To get the fluid, in the medical cabinet, the breast is warmed up and massaged using soft, flexible cups. Harvesting takes very little, not more than 5 minutes, and the liquid is sent to the laboratory to perform the cytological examination. This procedure is absolutely painless. Subsequently, the nasal fluid in the nipple is analyzed by the microscope to determine the presence of atypical cells. The big advantage of this investigation is that it can detect breast cancer 10 years before.

We must note that this does not signify confirmation of the diagnosis of breast cancer. The test has some limitations, detecting only 95% of the most common cancers. This investigation is recommended annually to all women aged 25-55 years. Specifically, this test has exactly the same role in breast cancer screening as the Pap test for cervical cancer, but we should not neglect the role of ultrasounds and breast. • Young women aged up to 25 years.

• Nursing mothers. • Women with. The role of self-examination of breasts, bilateral echographies to be made annually, especially after the age of 25 years, as well as the essential role in the detection of mammary cancer that belongs to mammography, should not be neglected. Mammography is performed only after the age of 40 years. .