But in January, she found a lump in her breast. A mammogram showed, that, at 47, she had breast cancer. She had to have her breast removed and is undergoing chemotherapy. There's a good chance that Davidson's cancer would have been found much earlier if she had continued to get regular mammograms. A new procedure has been developed to find potential breast cancer cells even earlier.
Ductal lavage involves using a catheter to draw cells out of milk ducts, where most cancers begin.
The cells are then checked for any pre-cancerous conditions. A local radiologist said that this could be a good addition to current procedures. But it won't find all lumps. However, whether it is a new test in the future, or a mammogram, it won't do any good if women don't go and get them. The ductal lavage procedure is being tested only on women at high risk for breast cancer.