OBJECTIVES:
* To determine the levels of catechol estrogens (CE), CE metabolites, CE-DNA adducts, and CE conjugates in nipple aspirate fluid samples obtained from women with newly diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ or stage I or II breast cancer and from women at high risk of developing breast cancer.
OUTLINE: Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer or at high risk of developing breast cancer undergo nipple aspiration. The nipple aspirate fluid is obtained from the unaffected breast and is analyzed for 31 estrogen metabolites, conjugates, and depurinating DNA adducts by high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) with electrochemical and mass spectrometric detectors. All patients undergo urine and serum sample collection. The urine samples are analyzed by ultraperformance LC monitored by tandem mass spectrometry for estrogen metabolites, conjugates, and depurinating DNA adducts.
Patients' charts are reviewed to obtain information about age, race, general health, any endocrine disorders, history of cancer, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and HER2/neu status (for patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer), menopausal status, reproductive history, history of breast disease, medication use, smoking history, and history of alcohol consumption.
