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Breast duct lavage for analysis by methylation-specific PCR is a novel but established method for detecting the presence of cancer and may contribute additional information about prognosis and response to treatment. The aim of this consecutive series of breast cancer patients was a case-control study to evaluate qualitative methylation of five published tumour suppressor genes1 in breast cancer tissue, adjacent normal breast parenchyma, duct lavage fluid and plasma.

The concept of the intraductal approach to evaluating the breast microenvironment assumes direct access to the breast cancer containing duct. Previous studies on duct anatomy infusing a dye or contrast found fluid-yielding ducts to be associated with the cancer containing duct in approximately 50% of fluid-yielding breasts with cancer. A concordant anatomical relationship between accessible ductal sytems and the cancer-affected lobe is essential if cytology or other cell markers are to be successfully identified as indicators of cancer or of early cancerous change. The concordant relationship is less important if field change effects are considered to predictors of malignant change. The aim of this study was to determine how often duct lavage effluent drains the breast cancer affected segment.