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Most breast cancers start in the milk ducts
Cells from Nipple Aspirate Fluid (NAF) can provide clues to a woman's breast health; routine screening will alert a woman and her doctor to changes in her cytology
A finding of atypia, years before it might develop into a lesion, will allow a woman and her doctor the opportunity to chart the optimal care path
After more than fifty years of research, it is now recognized that almost
all breast cancers begin in the breast milk ducts. Clinical studies have also
confirmed the ability to detect early cellular changes within the breast
ducts—similar to the Pap test detection of early cervical cellular
changes—through analysis of Nipple Aspirate Fluid (NAF).
Women typically have an average of 6 to 9 ducts in each breast. In 1958, Dr.
Papanicolaou (recognized as the originator of the "Pap Test") found it was
possible to extract small drops of fluid from the milk ducts by applying
suction to the nipple. A cytopathologist can analyze this Nipple Aspirate Fluid (NAF) looking for
epithelial cells contained within it. These epithelial cells may be
categorized as normal, hyperplasia, atypical
hyperplasia, carcinoma in situ or even suggestive of invasive cancer.
Long-term patient follow-up has confirmed the utility of Nipple Aspirate Fluid (NAF) cytology to
predict breast cancer risk. Additionally, Nipple Aspirate Fluid screening may detect a cancerous
growth years before mammography or physical examination.
