Dr. Charles Streckfus is the lead researcher on the study that is garnering attention around the globe, and for obvious reasons. In five years, it literally has the potential to put the brakes on breast cancer. I get excited just writing about it!

The idea is that your saliva has certain protein markers that indicate breast cancer.

Actually, it's more than an idea. Dr. Streckfus has been working on the research for 15 years now, and what he's found is being confirmed in labs and among physicians at the most prestigious research facilities in the country.

Streckfus' hope is to make the test readily available during a trip to the dentist.

Why? Simple; women who aren't getting regular mammograms ARE likely making at least one trip to the dentist a year, even if it's for their children.

The test could be done on the spot. Spit in a cup and wait for results. And, it can detect breast cancer before a lump even forms, and with more accuracy than a mammogram. (Though Streckfus stresses it is no substitute!)

I was able to tour the labs where the test is being developed. I saw all the big machines and crazy computer data that are part of the test, but there's one piece of the research I'll never forget. Dr. Streckfus took me to the "freezer" where all the saliva samples from women part of the study have been housed over the last 15 years. He pulled them out and said, "Many of these women aren't here with us anymore. They died fighting breast cancer, but they live on in this study. This is what I'm hoping to change."

Isn't this exciting? If you have a personal story about breast cancer, or just an opinion on the test, I want to hear it!