Semiquantitative cytochemical estimation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in benign diseases and carcinoma of the breast.

The level of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity was semiquantitatively evaluated in fresh imprints of infiltrative ductal carcinoma, fibrocystic disease and fibroadenoma of the breast. A significantly higher level of G6PDH activity was found in the carcinomas. The results suggest that the estimation of G6PDH activity could be a valuable method for evaluating the cells in benign and malignant breast lesions. It is possible that the intensification of G6PDH activity in carcinomas is a sign of the shift of the carbohydrate metabolism from an aerobic path or that the activity of the pentose shunt is higher because of the increased need for nucleic acid precursors in tissues with faster growth rates.