New Method Of Early Breast Cancer Detection

Posting Date: 11/09/2000

I recently discussed a new high-tech medical tube containing a tiny light and camera that is small enough to be threaded into the ducts of a woman?s breast glands to check for abnormal or cancerous tissues.

Well, physicians at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and some other clinics are now using a similar procedure to detect precancerous activity at the cellular level. The advantage to this is that detection of the disease could occur up to 10 years before breast cancer cells grow into a mass large enough to be visible by mammography or felt during a breast exam.

The technique, called ductal lavage, was developed at Pro-Duct Health in Menlo Park, CA., and is currently being used at numerous clinics in eight different states, according to a report by Daily University Science News.

During the procedure, a tiny catheter is introduced into the milk duct via an opening on the nipple and saline solution is used to wash out breast cells for examination. Since there are 20 to 30 ducts, the test only focuses on those that are fluid producing and more likely to harbor malignant or pre-malignant cells.

I should point out that while the test only takes about 30 minutes and is minimally invasive, it is presently only being recommended for women considered at a high risk of developing breast cancer, either because of personal history with breast cancer, or family history.

If the procedure results in abnormal cells being detected early, physicians may advise therapy involving tamoxifen citrate, which has been shown to reduce the rate of invasive breast cancer by 45 percent in high-risk women.

In other words, ductal lavage could be an important tool for the early diagnosis of breast cancer in women believed to be susceptible to the disease.

Source: Daily University Science News, Nov. 6, 2000.

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