Activity of pp60c-src protein kinase in human breast cancer.

Because there is elevation of pp60c-src activity in breast carcinoma tissue, we analyzed primary breast cancer tissue samples from 30 women to determine whether pp60c-src activity correlated with specific clinical parameters. We found that tumors with a progesterone receptor had higher pp60c-src activity than tumors without such a receptor. But there was no association of pp60c-src activity with the presence of an estrogen receptor or of nodes, or with menopausal status or age. The function of pp60c-src in normal cells and in breast cancer is unknown, as is the significance of our finding of an association of elevated pp60c-src activity and the presence of progesterone receptors.