Tears are powerful, and they tell all. They can provide a physical release of emotions AND can assess your risk level for breast cancer. Seriously! The at-home Auria® test does just this.

You get to live in a time where breast cancer testing can be delivered to your door and done in about 5 minutes. How amazing! The at-home Auria® Biological Breast Cancer Screening Test empowers you to be informed and confident in your healthy breast journey. 

This at-home, tear-powered breast health assessment gives you valuable insights into your breast cancer risk level so that you can make informed and empowered decisions for your body. Auria looks at the protein biomarkers in your tears since these proteins are involved in the early inflammatory process associated with breast cancer. 

How Can Tears Detect Breast Cancer?

Why are tears important to my health?

Besides releasing emotions, tears are a diagnostic fluid with decades of studies behind it, but their clinical value is still understated. (Read the full study here). Tears are responsible for many of the same roles blood plays throughout your body. Delivering oxygen and nutrients, removing waste and toxins, protecting against pathogens, and healing damage on the outer zone of your eye are all a tear’s responsibility. They also contain electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and small molecule metabolites. All of this is constantly exchanged with ocular surface epithelial cells and is of the same basic chemical composition as other tissues in your body. (Learn more here).

Additionally, whether you have normal breast tissue, dense breasts, or implants, Auria tests work the same.

A joint study by the University of Vermont, the University of Wisconsin, UC Davis, and others found that a shocking 43% of all women aged 40-74 years have a dense breast diagnosis. This should sound the alarm because one-third of all breast cancers are found in women with increased breast density in over 50% of their breast tissue. (Study here). 

Mammograms and other tests often can not detect breast cancer in dense breasts. For further study, please read why mammograms are NOT the best screening tool and how to decrease dense breasts.

Tears Vs. Blood Tests

The info below is from auria.care.

While blood is still a great way to collect data about your body, what sets tears apart is the last point: components. Large components in your blood can mask small cancer markers. These components are absent in tears, making small cancer markers much easier to spot. Please learn more about the science behind the Auria® Biological Breast Cancer Screening Test.

How To Take The Auria Breast Cancer Test

1. Order kit through a HIPAA secure platform.
2. Activate the kit and complete your health profile.
3. Collect your sample with our Schirmer strip; this takes 5 minutes or less. 
4. Return the sample in the mail.
5. Review your physician-certified results on your customer portal.
6. Schedule your breast health specialist consultation with an Auria Breast Specialist to discuss your results and risk factors and create a plan of action.

During step 3, collecting your tears, you will gently place a strip inside your lower eyelid to collect tear proteins. The microcapillaries on the inner surface of your lower eyelid act as a filtration mechanism. They remove any large components in blood that can mask low molecular weight proteins and allow the small proteins through. These proteins will stick to the strip and are removed using the sample buffer provided in the collection kit for clinical testing.

How Much Does The Auria® Biological Breast Cancer Screening Test Cost? 

The complete kit, including a clinical consultation, is $159. You can purchase it here and use code: BCC20 for 20% off!

How Accurate Is The Auria Test?

Auria has a sensitivity of 91.5%. This means that out of 100 women with breast cancer, Auria would classify 91.5 of those women as Medium or High (or above the diagnostic threshold); the remaining 8.5 are identified as low. It has a specificity of 58%, meaning out of 100 normal women, Auria would classify 58 as Low.

They have preferentially selected their algorithm to have a higher sensitivity to reduce the number of missed cancers (i.e. false negatives). For more information, please read their White Papers and Peer-Reviewed Publications.

To learn more about Auria, please listen to my podcast episode with Ally Doyle, NP, FNP-C, MSN, BSN, who helped develop the test.

Who Should NOT Use Auria Tests?

Auria breast cancer testing was not created for women under 30 or who have unevaluated palpable mass or area of concern in their breast tissue. It is also not intended for women who no longer have breast tissue. 

Additional Breast Cancer Testing Options

Since I am a solutions-based woman, below are seven innovative, safe, non-invasive, and accurate breast cancer testing options to consider. However, regardless of which test you use, ALWAYS back it up with a second test. No stand-alone screening tool is 100% accurate, so always back it up with a different one. Please learn more about why I do NOT recommend mammograms for breast cancer testing via this blog post.

• SonoCiné. The SonoCiné AWBUS scan provides greater visual detail of breast tissues, including the axilla (underarm/lymph nodes). This is extra helpful for 45% of women with dense breast tissue (read this blog if you have dense breasts) or implants, as mammograms often have trouble providing clear and detailed images. Learn more about The SonoCiné AWBUS here.
• Onconomics Plus RGCC. This test provides crucial information on the presence of circulating tumor cells (part of cancer stem cells) and their concentration in people with a confirmed diagnosis of specific forms of cancer, including breast, colon, and prostate cancer. It will also tell you which natural (and pharmaceutical) substances would help your body the most. Learn more about RGCC tests here.
• Galleri® Test. This test scans for 50 types of cancer, many of which are not commonly screened for today, in one simple blood draw. Learn more about the Galleri® Test here.

Seriously, there are so many options! But always back up a test with another one.

• Thermography. Digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI) can spot physiological breast cancer signs 6 to 8 years before any palpable mass appears. Learn more about thermography here.
• Signatera™ For Breast Cancer. This blood test can inform if the cancer is shrinking, growing, or coming back and can detect cancer six months before a CT scan. Please learn more about Signatera™ For Breast Cancer here.
• PerfeQTion Imaging. (This revolutionary machine will hopefully be available soon). It uses breakthrough soundwave technology to create fast, comfortable, radiation-free 3D breast scans. This new method of breast cancer screening is poised to replace screening mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs with a single, comfortable, and accurate test. For more information about the QT machine, contact support@RealHealthMD.com

The sooner you detect breast cancer or any deficiency in your body, the easier and more efficient the healing will be. TEST. And then test again. So you never have to stress and guess!