Twenty years ago, Nedra Lindsay agreed to be part of a clinical trial.   She was one of two hundred female employees of Greene Memorial Hospital asked to volunteer for the project.

"They needed us to wear this up and coming device that was going to be used to detect breast cancer in the earlier stages," said Lindsay.

Very young at the time, Lindsay wasn't worried about taking part in the test.

"I was 25 at the time and I thought breast cancer was something you worry about when you're 50 or older," Lindsay said.

Sensors were applied to each breast and they were attacked to a data pack that she wore for 48 hours.  Then she got the results.

"I was hoping the device would be successful. I just thought it would be for somebody else because I was so young," said Lindsay. "it was the device that showed proof-positive that I did have breast cancer."

The device, now twenty years in the making, evolved into a cancer-detecting sports bra.  It is called The First Warning System and all women have to do is wear it for at least twelve hours.

"What we would like to see is this device used as part of a woman's annual health care screening starting at the age of 18, said Matt Benardis, of First Warning System. 

Today, doctors still depend on the still images of the mammogram, the best screening tool to date to detect breast cancer.

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"But it is not a perfect test," said Dr. Margaret Chen, a breast cancer surgeon.  "It does over-diagnose in certain cases and it under-diagnoses or misses certain cancers, especially in younger women."

Dr. Chen said that is because younger woman often have dense breast tissue which makes it difficult to see a problem.

"The technology might improve the detection," said Dr. Chen. 

The developers say the cancer bra is is non-invasive, non-radioactive and will be safer to use on a routine basis.

Matt Bernarid said, "Our goal here is to make this widely accessible."

The cancer bra is in its fourth and final clinical test and there is hope to have it on the market by the end of this year. 

Nedra Lindsay believes the device should be available to all women.  She said the cancer bra saved her life.  Once her cancer was detected, she decided to take aggressive action and have a bi-lateral mastectomy.

"I might have been one of those women who didn't make it to 40," said Lindsay. "I am one lucky person and I realize that every day."