Breast Cancer Incidence in Women with Abnormal Cytology
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women in California and the United States. Early diagnosis is considered to be a key factor to minimize mortality; thus, techniques to identify high-risk women are essential. Although methods to identify women with inherited susceptibility to breast cancer are becoming more promising, they are not yet routine and only 5%-10% of breast cancer cases are likely to be due to inherited susceptibility. Breast cancer risks associated with specific histologic findings in benign breast biopsies have been quantified, but fewer than 15% of women who develop breast cancer have had a prior breast biopsy. Mammography has limited predictive value in women under age 50 when used without regard to other risk indicators. Nipple aspiration of breast fluid is a simple, non-invasive way of obtaining fluid from breasts of women who are neither pregnant nor lactating. Breast cells in this fluid can be classified as either normal or as showing various abnormalities, including hyperplasia (an increase in the number of cells in a tissue or organ which results in an enlargement of the area), atypical hyperplasia, and cancer. We previously followed 3170 women who participated in breast fluid studies between 1972 and 1980. Women with proliferative cytology (i.e., hyperplasia or atypical hyperplasia) were significantly more likely to develop breast cancer through April, 1991 than women with normal cytologic findings in nipple aspirates of breast fluid or than women from whom fluid could not be obtained. Results were strongest and most consistent for women under age 55 at time of nipple aspiration. In this study, we will determine the breast cancer incidence and mortality for 3170 women from the original cohort over the period May, 1991 through December, 1996. We will also determine breast cancer incidence, through December, 1996 in 4,080 additional women with known nipple aspirate cytology who participated in breast fluid studies between 1980 and 1991. Information from this new study will be used to augment our initial findings on the prognostic value of cytologic findings in nipple aspirates of breast fluid in identifying women at high risk of breast cancer. Incorporating nipple aspirate cytology findings with other indicators of breast cancer risk represents an innovative approach to identifying women at high risk of breast cancer for either intensive clinical management or for epidemiologic studies of prevention or progression of breast cancer.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This study has immediate relevance to the BCRP priority issue of early detection of breast cancer and to the identification and careful characterization of women at high-risk of breast cancer; it also will provide a data source of risk factors, breast cancer cases, and a large pool of women from which to choose controls for studies of genetic markers of breast cancer susceptibility and progression.