Ductal lavage is a minimally invasive method of collecting epithelial cells from the milk ductal system, where most breast cancers begin. The collected cells are sent to a cytology laboratory to determine the presence of benign, atypical, suspicious or malignant cells. More than 500 high-risk subjects were enrolled in the study at 19 prestigious breast cancer centers. In his presentation of the data, primary investigator William Dooley, M.D. from John Hopkins Breast Center, noted that the presence of atypical cells does not necessarily mean that breast cancer will follow. However, previous clinical studies have shown that atypical cells are predictive of which women are more likely to develop breast cancer.
Ductal lavage is premised on the fact that most breast cancers originate in the ductal systems.
On average, it takes about 8-10 years for these ductal cells to form a 1 cm mass, the average size of most tumors when first detected on a mammogram. Ductal lavage offers an opportunity to start the search for breast cancer early in this long process, and look for pre-malignant cells potentially before they form an imageable, palpable tumor. Because ductal lavage can be repeated, the cells in a particular duct can be followed over time. For women who are at high-risk for breast cancer, ductal lavage may be a valuable addition to standard breast cancer detection methods such as mammography and physical examination. Before ductal lavage begins, an anesthetic cream is applied to the nipple to numb the area.