Androgen receptor activity in human breast cancer and its relationship with oestrogen and progestogen receptor activity.

Androgen receptor activity was measured in tumours from 122 patients with breast cancer. Forty-two tumours (34%) possessed androgen receptors at levels varying from 17 to 210 fmol/mg cytosol protein (mean value 68). No relationship was detected between androgen receptors and menopausal status of the patients and whether or not lymph nodes were invaded with tumour at the time of biopsy. There were, however, significant positive correlations between the presence of androgen receptors and that of oestrogen (P less than 0.05) and of progestogen receptors (P less than 0.025). These relationships suggest that androgen receptors may be of value in predicting the hormone responsiveness of breast tumours but definitive proof of this requires clinical follow-up of the patients studied.