EGF binding is quantitatively related to growth in node-positive breast cancer.

Number of mitoses and EGF binding were determined in parallel in biopsies of 27 lymph-node positive and of 23 lymph-node negative breast cancer patients. For node-positive patients the parameters for cell growth and EGF binding were quantitatively correlated by the equation y = P3 + P1(1- exp(- P2x]. For node-negative cases neither the non-linear model nor the linear approximation described the data unambiguously. The results strongly suggest that in node-positive patients, growth of breast cancer is related to an EGF-dependent acceleration of cell division.