The future prospect: ductoscopy-directed brushing and biopsy.

The intraductal approach to breast cancer and premalignant lesions has now developed to yield substantial cytologic samples of exfoliated cells. Standard cytology is still inadequate in sensitivity and specificity to accurately interpret the majority of samples. As techniques evolve using ductoscopic biopsy and molecular marker panels to increase accuracy of cytologic interpretation, these tools will be able to unravel the breast carcinogenesis pathways. They will also offer considerable benefit in screening for premalignant changes and developing effective chemoprevention strategies.