Claims
- 1. A method for increasing a retrievable cell amount in a breast duct comprising inducing cell sloughing within the duct by applying vibration to the duct.
- 2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said vibration is produced by ultrasound.
- 3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said vibration is applied to said breast duct either externally or internally.
- 4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said vibration is combined with heat and/or massage.
- 5. A method of claim 1, wherein said retrievable cell amount is collected through ductal lavage.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/827,371, filed on Apr. 6, 2001, which claims the benefit of each of the following provisional applications under 37 CFR §1.78: 60/114,048, filed on Dec. 28, 1998; 60/134,613, filed on May 18, 1999; 60/143,476, filed on Jul. 12, 1999; 60/143,359, filed on Jul. 12, 1999; and 60/170,997, filed on Dec. 14, 1999. The full disclosures of each these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09827371 |
Apr 2001 |
US |
Child |
10825752 |
Apr 2004 |
US |