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The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of 11 medical centers nationally selected to participate in a 3-year study of women at high-risk for developing breast cancer.
Physicians at the UAB Cancer Center will evaluate and monitor early cellular changes in the breast milk ducts of high-risk women using ductal lavage, a minimally-invasive procedure. More than 95 percent of breast cancers originate in the breast milk ducts.
The objective of the SEDE study (Serial Evaluation of Ductal Epithelium), is to define the relationship between early cellular changes in the breast milk ducts and long-term breast health. The results of the study will establish the role that breast duct cell changes, as obtained by ductal lavage, play in gauging a high-risk woman’s individual risk for developing breast cancer.
For more information about the SEDE study at UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, women may contact 1-888-KNOW-RISK (1-888-566-9747) or visit "go to News from Alabama's Cancer Center” at www3.ccc.uab.edu.
Helen Krontiras, MD, UAB assistant professor of surgery and principal investigator of the local trial, said, “Our goal is to help determine if the analysis of a woman’s breast duct cells can provide additional information about her near-term risk of developing breast cancer when she is already at an elevated lifetime risk for breast cancer. It is our hope that women at-risk for breast cancer in the Birmingham area will benefit from our participation in this important national study that may ultimately benefit the millions of women who are at risk for developing this serious disease.”
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer in women in the United States. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that about one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. At-risk women may be eligible to participate in the study if they meet the following conditions:
Study participants will undergo ductal lavage every 6 months for 3 years in conjunction with a clinical breast exam every 6 months and a mammogram every 12 months. Physicians at UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center will monitor participants’ breast health for an additional two years. The ductal lavage procedure and ongoing physician monitoring is available at no charge to participating women.
Commercially available as the FirstCyte Breast Test, the ductal lavage procedure begins with the application of an anesthetic cream to the nipple to numb the area. Next, a small suction cup is used to help draw tiny amounts of ductal fluid up to the nipple surface, to determine the duct’s natural opening. A tiny plastic tube is inserted into the ductal opening and an anesthetic is delivered to numb the inside of the duct, and then the duct is rinsed with a balanced electrolyte solution to collect cells. The cell specimen is then sent to a laboratory to determine whether the cells are normal or atypical. The devices used in the ductal lavage procedure are cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for obtaining breast duct cells. The study is sponsored by Cytyc Corporation, which produces the FirstCyte Beast Test.
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of the 11 original cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. It has maintained that highly valued designation since 1973 and has become recognized as one of the top sites in the nation for research, training and treatment for cancer.
Media Contact: Hank Black (205) 934-8938 E-mail: hblack@uab.edu
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