Trial Information

Establishment of Normal Breast Epithelial Cell Lines From Patients at High Risk for Breast Cancer

Women who are at high risk for breast cancer, either because of linkage to high risk breast
and ovarian cancer families, or because of a carcinoma in the opposite breast, will be
studied. Women will have a physical examination and mammography to ensure that no breast
abnormalities are present. Eligible women will undergo biopsy of the breast to obtain
normal breast tissue. Short-term cell cultures will be established from this tissue and
early passages of the short-term cell lines will be stored. A bank of high risk normal
mammary epithelial cells will be established. To further characterize the mammary
epithelial cells in this population of women, cell cultures will subsequently be analyzed
for their growth and metabolic properties, sensitivity to chemopreventive agents, steroid
receptor characteristics, oncogene expression and regulation, and genetic changes.