Assessing breast cancer risk and providing treatment recommendations: immediate impact of an educational session.

The widespread availability of information regarding advancements in breast cancer care has heightened public awareness about risk and prevention, but there is limited knowledge as to the translation of these evolving advancements into physician practice patterns. The purpose of this study was to: (a) determine current practice patterns/treatment recommendations for evaluating patients at high-risk for breast cancer and (b) measure the immediate effect of an educational session on new knowledge acquired for high-risk patients. Five thousand and one health care provider surveys were sent to physicians in the greater Chicago area.

Correlation of nipple aspiration and ductal lavage cytology with histopathologic findings for patients before scheduled breast biopsy examination.

Background: The use of ductal lavage to obtain cells from within the breast ducts has been described for patients at high risk for breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to correlate ductal lavage cytologic findings with the corresponding histology.

Methods: Twenty-two patients were evaluated and 20 patients underwent ductal lavage followed by breast biopsy examination as a result of positive nipple aspiration fluid.