Surgical Innovations
Ductal Lavage: A New Procedure for Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer
Columbia University Medical Center breast surgeons are offering women at high risk for breast cancer a new technique, known as ductal lavage, that promises to provide them with in-depth information about breast health.
Through ductal lavage, fluid is aspirated via a catheter directly from the ducts of the breast, through the nipple.
Until now, physicians have obtained information about high-risk women from breast imaging—mammography, ultrasound, and MRI.
Ductal lavage comes from a completely different direction, enabling the physician to evaluate the breast from the inside out without the need for surgery.
Once fluid has been aspirated from the breast ducts, it is analyzed for the presence-or absence-of abnormal, or atypical, cells.
While the presence of atypical cells is not necessarily a sign of cancer, it may be an important risk indicator.
Having this information is important, offering women the opportunity to consider interventions such as a prophylactic medical therapy like tamoxifen.
In addition, it is very helpful to be able to provide as much detailed information about risk status as possible.
If a woman is undecided whether or not to take tamoxifen or to pursue another active intervention, extra data from ductal lavage can be very helpful.
Cytyc Corporation, the company that makes the ductal lavage catheter, has established a national registry to collect long-term data for patients who have had ductal lavage.
The company is also assisting the Columbia University Medical Center Department of Surgery in establishing research studies focusing on ductal lavage.
For more information about ductal lavage, call 1.800.227.2762.
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