Biomarker Analysis on Ductal Lavage Fluid as a Tool for Breast Cancer Early Detection

摘要

The current breast cancer diagnostic methods rely on identification of the tumor mass and therefore have limited success for detecting early lesions in which preventive measures could effectively be carried out. We propose a novel approach using ductal lavage technique, coupled with biomarker profile analysis on the fluid and cells obtained. This approach facilitates the detection of malignant or premalignant lesions in individuals who have undetectable tumor masses. We hypothesis that the development of breast cancer is preceded by molecular field disease changes, and therefore cells obtained from any area of the duct will signal the biochemical and molecular changes associated with carcinogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we first performed a molecular mapping study. Ductal epithelial cells obtained from cancerous and non-cancerous ducts were collected from several mastectomy samples. Molecular analysis including analysis of proliferation marker Ki67 and methylation of RAR- B were performed.