Human Breast Cancer in Nude Mice: A Model for Testing Endocrine Treatment

Abstract

It is clinically well known that addition or deletion of steroids is an effective treatment in about one-third of patients with advanced breast cancer. However, it is difficult to predict the responsiveness of an individual tumour. In vitro assays of oestrogen receptors have proved to yield useful indications of the hormone responsiveness of human breast cancer. Nevertheless, many oestrogen receptor-positive tumours fail to respond to endocrine therapy. Supplementary markers like quantification of oestrogen receptors, differentiation of the 4 S and 8 S receptors, determination of the progesterone receptor, and certain clinical characteristics such as menopausal status, type of metastasis, and disease-free interval are additional aids in the identification of responsive tumours.

The authors wish to thank Professor Jungblut and Dr. Wagner of the Max Planck Institut, Wilhelmshaven, Federal German Republic, for providing the gel electrophoresis equipment and technical assistance.