Factors associated with obtaining nipple aspirate fluid: Analysis of 1428 women and literature review

Abstract

Studies of cytologic and biochemical constituents of nipple aspirates of breast fluid have contributed to understanding the natural history of benign and malignant breast disease. We conducted multivariate analyses using 1428 women from a recent case-control study of breast disease to determine which factors were independently associated with the ability to obtain breast fluid from nonlactating women. We then compared results from these analyses to the results from five previous studies that also used the aspiration technique of Sartorius. Four factors were consistently associated across studies with increased ability to obtain breast fluid: 1) age up to 35 to 50 years; 2) earlier age at menarche; 3) non-Asian compared to Asian ethnicity; and 4) history of lactation. Exogenous estrogen use, endogenous estrogen concentrations, phase of menstrual cycle, family history of breast cancer, type of menopause, and less than full-term pregnancy consistently did not influence ability to obtain fluid. New findings from this study shed light on some apparently contradictory findings from the previous studies. In particular, this study showed that the effects of age on ability to obtain fluid appeared to be independent of the effects of menopause. Furthermore, discrepancies in previous findings on the effects of parity on ability to obtain fluid may be explained by our finding that the increased ability to obtain fluid from parous compared to nulliparous women applied only to parous women who had breastfed.

A strong association between body fat mass and protein profiles in nipple aspirate fluid of healthy premenopausal non-lactating women

“…This inconsistency may be simply attributable to a difference in the prevalence of type I NAF (which is positive for GCFDP-15) and type II NAF in the two study populations. The prevalence of the two NAF types is modifiable by pregnancy history, body fat mass, and dietary fat intake, as shown in our study, and by current usage of birth control medications and age, as was shown in other studies [24,36]. This underscores the importance of a mechanistic understanding of the presence and relevance of type I and II NAF in pathological and physiological states of the breast before breast cancer biomarkers can be effectively identified.…”

Nipple aspirate fluid: a promising non-invasive method to identify cellular markers of breast cancer risk

“…In this report, we demonstrate a higher success rate in obtaining NAF than has generally been reported (Wrensch et al, 1990). We attribute this greater success to differences in technique, as well as to persistence in attempting to obtain NAF.…”

Nipple Aspirate Fluid Proteome of Healthy Females and Patients with Breast Cancer

“…The variable success rate for sample collection and the low volume of sample obtained have been the main drawbacks for the clinical use of NAF. Certain factors may increase the likelihood of obtaining NAF, such as age range 35-50 years, earlier age of menarche, previous lactation history, and non-Asian ethnicity (10 ). Recently, Suijkerbuijk et al increased the success of nipple aspiration to 94% with use of nasal oxytocin (11 ), a technique that opens new horizons for the use of NAF in diagnostics.…”