Ductal Lavage Detects Atypical Cells In 23% Of High-Risk Women.

2001 MAY 24 - (NewsRx Network) -- Atypical cells were detected in 23% of women at high risk of developing breast cancer, according to updated results of a large-scale clinical trial, presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, April 28 - May 2, 2001.

Ductal lavage is a minimally invasive method of collecting large numbers of cells from the breast milk ducts, where 95% of breast cancer originates. The procedure involves inserting a hair-thin catheter into the milk ducts, and washing (lavaging) the ducts with saline to collect cells.

"Atypical cells significantly increase the risk of breast cancer development. Currently, ductal lavage is the only method allowing physicians to detect atypical cells in a minimally invasive fashion," said William C. Dooley, MD, an early pioneer of ductal lavage and principal investigator of the study, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. "This procedure is important news for high-risk women and their physicians who are searching for ways to understand their current risk of developing breast cancer."

Ductal lavage is premised on the fact that most breast cancers originate in the ductal systems. Atypical cells have been shown to increase relative risk of breast cancer development by five to 18 times depending on family history status. Published, peer-reviewed data with long-term follow-up demonstrate that women with atypical cells face a significantly elevated, near-term risk of developing breast cancer. It is not known whether all atypical cells progress to breast cancer, however the risk implications are clear.

The multi-center study enrolled 507 women who were determined to be at high risk for breast cancer if they scored a minimum of 1.7% on the five-year Gail Index, previously had breast cancer, or were positive for BRCA1/2 mutations. Ductal lavage was well tolerated and identified the presence of atypical cells in 23% of the women. Approximately 17% of the study participants were found to have mildly atypical cells in their breasts while 6% had markedly atypical cells.

The most widely used risk assessment tool today is the Gail Index developed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This model calculates a woman's risk of developing an invasive breast cancer over the next five years and takes into account several factors including: current age, age at menarche (first period), age at first live birth, number of previous ...