UAB Study Evaluates Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer

UAB Synopsis, Vol. 24, No. 10, March 21, 2005

The UAB Comperhensive 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% of breast cancers originate in breast milk ducts.

The university is 1 of 10 medical centers nationally selected to participate in the 3-year SEDE study (Serial Evaluation of Ductal Epithelium).

The study's objective is to define the relationship between early cellular changes in breast milk ducts and long-term breast health. The results 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.

Helen Krontiras, MD, UAB assistant professor of surgery and principal investigator of the local trial, notes, "Our goal is to help determine if 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. We hope that women at-risk for breast cancer in the Birmingham area will participate in this important national study, which may ultimately benefit millions of women who are at risk for developing this serious disease."

Ductal lavage

Commercially available as the FirstCyte Breast Test, the ductal lavage procedure begins with 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. The duct is then rinsed with a balanced electrolyte solution to collect cells, which are analyzed to determine whether they are normal or atypical. The devices used in the ductal lavage procedure are cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for obtaining breast duct cells.

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 year. Cancer Center physicians will monitor participants' breast health for an additional 2 years. The ductal lavage procedure and ongoing physician monitoring are available at no charge to participating women.

For study details, contact Dr. Krontiras at 934-3028 or hkrontir@uab.edu.