Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in human breast cancer. Lack of association with oestrogen receptor content.

The correlation between glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and different tumour characteristics was investigated in human breast cancer tissue. The enzyme activity was measured by a histochemical method and the oestrogen receptor content by a dextran-coated charcoal assay. The proliferative activity of the tumours correlated positively with the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. No correlation was found between enzyme activity and tumour type and menopausal status, age, TNM-class nor oestrogen receptor content. Based on this investigation it is concluded that the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase reflects the proliferative status of the tumour but not the hormone dependency of the tumour.