EARLY MARKERS FOR BREAST CANCER RISK IN NIPPLE ASPIRATE FLUID

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Brief Background: In recent years, nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) has been considered as a potential source for breast cancer risk markers. The main components of NAF are proteins, including various hormone-regulated proteins, and generally known cancer markers such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Currently, however, there is no established way to identify the specific NAF protein profiles associated with breast cancer risk. Specific Aims and Procedures: Protein profiles of NAF will be analyzed by state-of-the-art techniques, including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-D gel) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The combined use of these two technologies has enabled us to study global protein profiles in low risk healthy women and these methods are time- and cost-efficient and could be easily adapted for clinical applications. Experimental Design: The NAF protein profiles will be studied and compared among three groups of women: 40 healthy women with no family history of breast cancer, 40 healthy women with first-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, including those with unilateral breast cancer, before treatment. Significance: The ultimate purpose of this study is to discover and catalog NAF proteins that are early markers for breast cancer risk. Identification of breast cancer risk marker in NAF may revolutionize breast cancer detection because it can be performed an unlimited number of times and non-invasively and thus provides us a tool to follow prospectively the general population and follow more frequently the higher risk populations.