Ductal Lavage is a procedure carried out for drawing out cells from the milk ducts present in the breast to be sent for testing. This is a useful procedure for detection of precancerous cells known as atypical cells. Presently, ductal lavage is solely conducted on those women having multifarious risks elements indicating breast cancer, to attempt to spot breast cancer prior to its commencement.

Ductal lavage operates on the well-accepted fact that majority of the breast cancers amounting to nearly 95% cases develop in the cell lining of the milk ducts present in the breast. Generally, breast cancer initially originates in a single duct and would remain present within that duct if detected in the preliminary stages. This early detection makes the treatment more effectual and raises the survival rates amongst such cases.

Regrettably by the time cancer gets diagnosed it has mostly spread way past one duct. An estimation done by specialists points to the fact that the cancer takes a time period of about eight to ten years to spread from a single cell to a cluster big enough, i.e., one billion cells to be diagnosed during a mammogram.

The doctors are optimistic about the ductal lavage screening procedure among those women in the high risk bracket and would aid in spotting the disease in its early stages, when it has a high likelihood of being adequately treated.

The ductal lavage is an outpatient procedure that is minimally invasive and is carried out in the three key steps, namely:

1. The nipple area is numbed by the application of a small amount of anesthetic cream. A mild suction action is employed to remove a little quantity of fluid from the milk ducts. The suction is carried out to detect the aperture of the ducts on the surface of the nipple and for identification of the ducts that need to be diagnosed. Normally, those ducts that do not secrete fluid are not diagnosed using the lavage method, as abnormal cells are widely observed in those ducts that emit fluid. Though most of the women are unable to produce fluid by this procedure. If fluid is not being produced then the test procedure is not carried ahead.
2. A fine tube that is hair-like in appearance is introduced inside the natural aperture of the duct. Supplementary anesthesia is passed through the duct. A saline solution that is made of a combo of salt and water solution is then introduced via the catheter as a rinsing mechanism done on the duct to release the cells from the lining of the ducts. The solution infused with the released cells is then drawn out through the catheter.
3. This withdrawn sample is further forwarded for detailed laboratory diagnosis to ascertain whether the cells are usual or the atypical forms of cells. Those women that have the presence of abnormal cells are at an elevated risk of getting breast cancer.

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