Metabolism of the microregions of human breast cancer.

Glucose and glutamine metabolism of two microregions of human infiltrating ductile breast cancer, the center and the periphery, was studied and the results were compared with those of healthy mammary glands. In general, the activities of glycolytic enzymes and of phosphate-dependent glutaminase were as follows: center>periphery>mammary gland. Insulin caused a marked increase of glucose consumption and lactate production by incubated slices of mammary gland but had no effect on both microregions of the tumor. Therefore, human breast cancer presents metabolic microregions.