Analysis of the intraductal microenvironment for the early diagnosis of breast cancer: identification of biomarkers in nipple-aspirate fluids.

Background: Breast cancer, a complex and multifactorial disease, is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy that affects women. Methods of breast cancer detection that are available at present have well-described limitations; the intraductal approaches directly assess the microenvironment of the breast.

Objective: The aim of this overview is to highlight the application of nipple-aspirate fluid studies in the field of biomarker discovery, useful for early detection and prevention of breast cancer risk.

Conclusion: Nipple-aspirate fluids can be obtained non-invasively from the breast in most women and represent a promising biological tool to assess metabolic and molecular changes of cells lining the ducts from which breast cancer arises.