Name of the Trial
Pilot Screening Study of Breast Imaging Outcome Measures in Women at High Genetic Risk of Breast Cancer (NCI-01-C-0009). See the protocol summary at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/NCI-01-C-0009.

Principal Investigator
Dr. Sheila Prindiville of the NCI's Center for Cancer Research and Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.

Why Is This Trial Important?
Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women in the United States. Changes in certain genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, and others) increase the risk of breast cancer.

Imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) scans may improve the ability to detect breast cancer in women who have a genetic risk for the disease. This breast imaging study is exploring whether MRI can detect cancer better than standard mammography in women who have a genetic risk. PET scans are being used for any study participant whose mammogram or MRI findings require additional evaluation. Breast Duct Lavage, a noninvasive technique in which breast cells are washed from the lining of breast milk ducts, is also being studied to determine if cellular or molecular changes in duct lavage fluid can be used to detect cancer before it is clinically detectable.

"We hope that these new breast imaging and nipple fluid sampling techniques will enable us to find breast cancer at an even earlier stage in women who are at high risk of this disease, particularly in younger women for whom mammography is less effective in finding early breast cancers," said Dr. Prindiville.

Who Can Join This Trial?
Researchers seek to enroll approximately 200 healthy women age 25 to 56 from the greater metropolitan Washington D.C. area who are known to carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, or who are at higher risk of breast cancer because of their family history. See the full list of eligibility criteria for this trial at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/NCI-01-C-0009.

Where Is This Trial Taking Place?
The breast imaging study is taking place at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Who to Contact
To speak with the recruitment nurse, Ms. Stephanie Steinbart, call 1-800-518-8474, or call the NCI's Clinical Studies Support Center (CSSC) at 1-888-NCI-1937 (1-888-624-1937). The CSSC provides information about cancer trials taking place on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. The call is toll-free and completely confidential.

For more information, visit the study's Web site at http://breastimaging.cancer.gov.

An archive of "Featured Clinical Trial" columns is available at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/ft-all-featured-trials.